Chris Harper, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound four-star athlete (Scout.com's No. 36 running back) from Northwest High School in Wichita, Kan., has already taken an official visit to Notre Dame (Sept. 22) and has another one set up with Illinois (Sept. 29).
"My Notre Dame trip was real good," Harper said. "I liked the game day atmosphere a lot and the student section is great. Even though they lost the game they all stayed until after the game and sang the fight song with the team. I loved all the chanting and singing and stuff they did. They really support the team."
Harper says that he didn't have one player host, but instead was hosted by a group of Irish players including defensive back Gary Gray, halfback James Aldridge, wide receiver Richard Jackson and defensive end Emeka Nwankwo.
"I really liked South Bend too," he said. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be and we had a lot of fun just going out to eat and hanging out."
The only other recruits who were taking their official visit to Notre Dame that weekend were Ryan Williams (running back for Jackson High School in Manassas, Va.) and Chancey Aghayere (defensive end from Garland, Texas). Neither of them committed.
"Notre Dame is young and it'll get better for them," Harper said. "That's the main thing with them right now. They only have like 20 seniors."
Harper says the Irish are recruiting him as an athlete, while Illinois wants him to play quarterback. "I've been really impressed with Illinois this year," he said. "They played Missouri really hard and Missouri is a good team. That game could have gone either way. They are an up-and-coming program and I like their offense a lot."
Although Harper continues to deny a favorite, some of the other schools he's thinking about visiting are California, Missouri, Kansas State and Nebraska. All of them have offered and Harper says he has over 20 total offers.
"I don't really have it narrowed down at all yet," Harper admitted. "I'm still pretty open and just want to make sure that I take all of my visits and be ready. I want a good overall school and get in a situation where I'll be able to play."
The other schools recruiting Harper for quarterback are Missouri and Kansas State, and he says the Wildcats are recruiting him the hardest. "I talk to their coaches a lot and they send the most mail.
"I like the communications program at Missouri," he said. "That's what I want to major in. I also really like their offense because they run the spread."
Harper admitted that he prefers playing quarterback to receiver. "I like playing quarterback, but it's not like I won't go to a school just because they are recruiting me as a receiver."
In fact, Cal is recruiting Harper as a wide receiver and he says he plans to take an official visit to Berkeley. "I like the Pac-10 a lot," he said. "It's an up-and-coming conference with a lot of great teams. I know they need receivers so I'd be able to play early there."
Harper attended the Nebraska/USC game on Sept. 15 and says the Huskers are recruiting him as an athlete. "The game was amazing and the fans were all really loud," he said. "The stadium is great and I love the support they show. They even knew my name and that shows how into football they are that they even follow recruiting."
Northwest High is currently 3-1 and Harper says he's averaging 150 yards passing per game and 90 yards rushing. He also has nine touchdowns.
He reports a 3.0 core GPA and a 18 ACT, which he plans to retake in October.