BOULDER — First impressions often make the strongest impression, and Colorado senior linebacker B.J. Beatty hasn’t forgotten the first time he saw Evan Harrington.
A transfer from a California junior college, Harrington arrived in Boulder in midsummer as a 6-foot, 225-pound linebacker. He turned heads.
“The kid came in here, and the first day of lifting he started throwing around weights,” Beatty recalled. “I looked at him and was, like, wow. He packs the power. He’s strong and he can move. He impressed me. He’s definitely one to watch.”
Most junior college transfers have only two years of eligibility remaining and thus are recruited to make an immediate impact. Harrington is counting on it. Apart from Beatty, senior Michael Sipili and junior reserve Tyler Ahles, there isn’t much experience at linebacker. Harrington no doubt will get an opportunity.
Once he settles down, that is.
“I had a little case of the jitters the first practice,” Harrington said. “Some guys were telling me to slow down, that I am thinking too much. I thought I’d picked up the defense pretty fast, but it’s different when you’re out there with your teammates and the coaches. The intensity level is pretty high.”
A native of Bowie, Md., Harrington is quiet and polite off the field and rather disruptive on it. Last fall, as a sophomore at College of the Canyons, he recorded a team-high 85 tackles, including 11 1/2 tackles for losses, seven sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and an interception.
That playmaking ability earned Harrington a spot on the all-conference team in what is regarded as one of the top areas in the nation for junior college football. As a high school senior in suburban Washington, Harrington had been named to The Washington Post’s all-metro team after making 112 tackles for Bowie High.
Harrington headed west to junior college when his College Board scores fell shy of the minimum requirement for initial eligibility with a major college.
In retrospect, Harrington said playing two years of junior college football was beneficial.
“The coaches there get you ready for the next level,” said Harrington, who benches 370 pounds. “Now I just have to learn the plays. My quickness is my biggest asset, but you can’t use your quickness if you hesitate because you’re not sure where to go.”
Harrington is doing just fine, Beatty said. “Evan has asked some questions,” Beatty said. “But what might take a freshman two hours to learn, he has it down in 15 minutes.”
Pads to start popping.
Full pads begin with today’s 8:30-10:30 a.m. practice, the only workout of the day. The coaching staff will learn a lot more about the team then, coach Dan Hawkins said Sunday.
“There’s a lot of great 7-on-7 guys in America, a lot of intra-mural guys,” Hawkins said. “But when you put on the pads, that’s a little different.”
As for the risk of players getting banged up during the early days of full-pads work, Hawkins said he “always” worries about injuries.
“There’s a fine line between getting them ready and being smart,” he said. “When we hit, we want to hit and hit hard. But these guys can’t slam every single day or there will be nothing left.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
