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 visited Notre Dame (Sept. 22) and Illinois (Sept. 29) and hopes to visit California when they play USC on Nov. 10.
"It's not an official date yet, but I really want to visit Cal during the season," Harper said. "I want to see what it's like there during a game and I would love to go for the USC game. Cal had a tough loss against Oregon State and UCLA played really well, but in both games one mistake the other way and Cal would've been undefeated.
"I also really like the academics at Cal and the Pac-10 is a very competitive conference," he said. "I like that they are still getting better and trying to be like a USC-type team that wins every year."
Harper says the Bears are recruiting as a wide receiver. The only other team recruiting Harper as a receiver is Notre Dame. "Notre Dame's never really had a problem with recruiting, so I think they'll get back on track," he said in regards to the Irish's 1-7 record. "They've got a lot of great players that are pretty young, so I'm not worried. It's weird seeing them lose, but I kind of understand."
Although he continues to deny a favorite, Harper likes Cal, Notre Dame, Missouri, Kansas State, Illinois and Oregon. The Ducks are new to Harper's list and haven't offered yet. "They've been recruiting me a lot recently and I just sent them a highlight tape, so we'll see if they offer."
Besides the Bears and Irish, all of Harper's other choices are recruiting him for quarterback. "I'd rather play quarterback," he said. "The schools that are recruiting me for receiver aren't necessarily out of it, but I definitely prefer playing quarterback."
He says the school recruiting him the hardest right now is Missouri. "I talk to them a lot and they seem to really like me," he said. "They want me at quarterback and they have been throwing the ball a lot this year, but said they would use me like they did Brad Smith and I'd be able to run the ball too."
Leading Northwest High School to a 6-2 record, Harper has amassed over 800 yards passing and 490 yards rushing for a total of 17 touchdowns. He has only thrown one interception.
While Harper says that distance isn't a big factor, he admits that Kansas State's close proximity (within four hours) helps the Wildcats. "It would be cool to play close to home because everyone here follows K-State," he said. "Most of my friends and the people around here want me to go to Kansas State and I'd have a lot of support if I stayed close.
"I also like how Kansas State is still getting better," he said. "They've played a lot of close games this season and I think there's a lot of great things happening there."
Although Illinois isn't quite as close as Manhattan, Kan., Harper says he loves the family atmosphere at Champaign, Ill. "I liked my visit to Illinois a lot," he said. "I really liked the coaches because it's a real family oriented place. I met with most of the coach's wives and children and all the players are real close too. The program is rebuilding and is on the rise. They are pretty close to being a top team and going undefeated in the Big 10."
Harper says he doesn't have a timeframe for making a decision.
"I'm checking out how the players are with each other and how they are with the coaches," he said. "I also want a school with good student support. I'm starting to rate each school on a scale of 1-10 in a bunch of different categories. I'm looking at things like coaches, players, fan support, academics, and facilities…stuff like that. I'm hoping this will help me narrow things down."
He reports a 3.0 core GPA and a 18 ACT.