Jaden Harris was all over the field on Saturday, earning ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors after recording a pick and teaming with Elijah Alston for a sack. He spoke with reporters about his performance and the team’s mindset:
On his interception: I was reading the quarterback and tracking the ball, but it was kind of weird. I didn't know it had got hit, so I was tracking it as if it was a slant. I was driving there, and it was taking too long to come out, so I overran a little bit.
I can't explain it. I just play. I adjusted to the ball and I slipped. I just had to make sure I caught it.
On his first game as full-time starter: I didn't feel nervous. Practice made it way easier to play the game because practice is super hard. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the hardest days of the week. Saturdays are just for fun. Go out with your team, with your brothers and just have fun and fly around without thinking. All the thinking and all the physical and the tough part is in the preparation. That's how it went for me.
On the team’s mentality off a win: We just move on from the game. We practice, focus on another task at hand. I could tell as a team we already forgot about the last game. The most important game is next one. So we always focus and we’re all trying to do the same thing and go out there and win as a team.
On his confidence after the Gator game: Confidence really comes from practice. I go against the best quarterback in the nation every day. You gotta go against guys like Damien Martinez, Xavier Restrepo, Elijah Arroyo, Cam Ward. It's pretty tough. So my confidence came in the spring. My confidence came in the fall. It was like, “I belong.” Practice is hard practice. The game is easy. Practices are hard. That's how it's supposed to be. That's how they wanted it to be.
On the improvement in his game: The biggest thing I had to focus on was my mental. Slowing down the game. When you know what you're doing in your assignment, it allows you to play fast. Obviously, I worked on my game, my breaks and whatnot, but really just getting in the playbook and watching a lot of tape. You can be one step ahead. That's what makes you look like you're playing fast, but it's really just mental.
On OJ Frederique: OJ is one of a kind. I’ve never seen a freshman come in like him that's this polished and this confident. I've been seeing it in practice. I've seen him in camp. I tell him every day, “You're a Freshman All-American.” That's how I really feel about him. I just hope that he's able to do that and accomplish that because he has all the intangibles. He has the size. He's very mature. That's something I can see. You don't usually see out of a freshman, somebody that's just mature like that.
If I was a freshman, I would’ve been happy and turned up in practice if I just started against Florida, but I didn't see none of that from him today. He's ready to roll and move on to the next game. He’s got ball skills, size, a lot of strength, so he has a very bright future. I'm proud of him.
On his interception: I was reading the quarterback and tracking the ball, but it was kind of weird. I didn't know it had got hit, so I was tracking it as if it was a slant. I was driving there, and it was taking too long to come out, so I overran a little bit.
I can't explain it. I just play. I adjusted to the ball and I slipped. I just had to make sure I caught it.
On his first game as full-time starter: I didn't feel nervous. Practice made it way easier to play the game because practice is super hard. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the hardest days of the week. Saturdays are just for fun. Go out with your team, with your brothers and just have fun and fly around without thinking. All the thinking and all the physical and the tough part is in the preparation. That's how it went for me.
On the team’s mentality off a win: We just move on from the game. We practice, focus on another task at hand. I could tell as a team we already forgot about the last game. The most important game is next one. So we always focus and we’re all trying to do the same thing and go out there and win as a team.
On his confidence after the Gator game: Confidence really comes from practice. I go against the best quarterback in the nation every day. You gotta go against guys like Damien Martinez, Xavier Restrepo, Elijah Arroyo, Cam Ward. It's pretty tough. So my confidence came in the spring. My confidence came in the fall. It was like, “I belong.” Practice is hard practice. The game is easy. Practices are hard. That's how it's supposed to be. That's how they wanted it to be.
On the improvement in his game: The biggest thing I had to focus on was my mental. Slowing down the game. When you know what you're doing in your assignment, it allows you to play fast. Obviously, I worked on my game, my breaks and whatnot, but really just getting in the playbook and watching a lot of tape. You can be one step ahead. That's what makes you look like you're playing fast, but it's really just mental.
On OJ Frederique: OJ is one of a kind. I’ve never seen a freshman come in like him that's this polished and this confident. I've been seeing it in practice. I've seen him in camp. I tell him every day, “You're a Freshman All-American.” That's how I really feel about him. I just hope that he's able to do that and accomplish that because he has all the intangibles. He has the size. He's very mature. That's something I can see. You don't usually see out of a freshman, somebody that's just mature like that.
If I was a freshman, I would’ve been happy and turned up in practice if I just started against Florida, but I didn't see none of that from him today. He's ready to roll and move on to the next game. He’s got ball skills, size, a lot of strength, so he has a very bright future. I'm proud of him.
