Ohio QB CJ Harris enters transfer portal

Harris won MVP honors of the 2022 Arizona Bowl after throwing the game-winning TD pass.

Ohio quarterback CJ Harris entered the transfer portal Tuesday, through an announcement on Twitter, seeking another destination to continue his college career.

Harris may have spent his tenure in Athens, OH as a backup, but he is forever ingrained with important moments in program history. In 2022, Ohio starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke suffered a late-season ACL injury, causing Harris to assume the No. 1 spot for the remainder of the season.

In his first career start, the quarterback delivered a 38-14 win over Bowling Green with 196 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 65 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns — clinching Ohio’s first MAC Championship Game appearance since 2016. Harris started the conference title matchup in Detroit, although Ohio fell to Toledo in a 10-7 result.

But Harris made history to conclude that 2022 season. In the Arizona Bowl against Wyoming, he captained a game-tying field goal drive to push the game into overtime. Then in overtime, he connected on a 10-yard jump ball to tight end Tyler Foster in the end zone for a walk-off victory. Harris was named MVP for his efforts, finishing 20-of-33 with 184 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 52 rushing yards.

Harris returned to the field in Week 0 of the 2023 season when Rourke suffered a first half injury, firing a career-high 41 passes in a hard-fought loss to San Diego State. He wound up starting Week 2 against Long Island of the FCS, completing 7-of-8 passes in a decisive victory. However, the quarterback was held out of the remainder of the season due to a “medical emergency”.

The details of the medical emergency have not been disclosed, but Harris returned for spring football practices this season. Ohio wrapped up its spring game on Apr. 20, and Harris enters the transfer portal three days after the conclusion of the event.

Although he threw his first pass as a Bobcat in 2020, Harris retains three years of eligibility. He only played one game in the 2020 COVID-abbreviated season, zero games in 2021, seven games in 2022, and two games in 2023 while dealing with the medical emergency — totaling 10 career appearances as he prepares for his next destination.

Harris is one of two Bobcats with starting experience to enter the portal this offseason, along with four-year starter Kurtis Rourke who completed a transfer to Indiana in December. Four quarterbacks remain on the Ohio roster — Parker Navarro, Callum Wither, and Jacob Harris — with Navarro possessing the most experience as the bunch, starting and winning the 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl.