Cleveland Browns sign Charlotte grad student Tre Harbison III

UNC-Charlotte grad student Tre Harbison III signed with the Cleveland Browns and will try to make the team as a running back.

The Cleveland Browns signed undrafted free agent (UDFA) running back Tre Harbison III from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to their 90-player roster. Harbison had only one year at Charlotte after posting back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons at Northern Illinois University.

That year for the UNC-Charlotte 49ers in Conference USA play was truncated due to the impact of Covid-19, so he only competed in six contests, accumulating 337 rushing yards.

So why did Harbison transfer after back-to-back 1,000 yard campaigns? Couldn’t he get along with the coaches, or what?

Actually, that’s not it at all. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Northern Illinois and was accepted into the graduate program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he is enrolled in a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies program.

Plus his family is from that area, so they did have to drive so far to see him play.

https://twitter.com/TREHARBO/status/1199530217250922497?s=20

The Browns are getting a downhill runner. His Pro Day numbers are okay, but not necessarily the kind to knock your socks off. His 40-yard dash time was 4.62, he benched 225 pounds for 20 reps, had a 33 1/2 inches vertical leap, road Jump: 09 feet 09 inches, 20 Yard Shuttle in 4.50 seconds, 3-Cone Drill in 7.18 seconds.

These are below average times for an NFL running back, so that probably explains why he was not drafted. Playing for an FCS school also didn’t help. However, there are any number of NFL backs who earn a living on Sundays with numbers comparable to these numbers. His ability to perform can overrule the results from the underwear Olympics.

He has to prove he can outperform D’Ernest Johnson and sixth-round draft pick Demetric Felton in order to make the 53-player roster.

Alternatively, he has to prove he can be a better blocker than fullback Andy Janovich. These are difficult tasks, but by no means impossible.