No. 1 RB Harlem Berry updates the latest in his recruitment

METAIRIE, La. — The nation’s top junior running back has already cemented himself as one of the most explosive offensive playmakers in the country.

The centerpiece of Louisiana Class 1A football high school Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s, Harlem Berry‘s 2022 campaign lifted the Saints into a new stratosphere — with the school’s deepest playoff run through the state semifinals as a launching pad for this fall.

Berry, who holds offers from schools coast to coast, has frequented LSU the most since landing an offer from LSU’s Frank Wilson last summer. Texas and Florida have also cemented themselves as major contenders with the elite 2025 running back, and all three SEC programs have been making their presences felt since the calendar flipped to August.

“I’ve gotten a ton of mail since August started,” the No. 11 overall player in the On300 for next year’s recruiting cycle told On3. “Definitely, it’s been something new, especially since that first night when coaches were able to call and that first full day. I had to put my phone on Do Not Disturb it was blowing up so much. I’ve been excited to talk to coaches, and I love talking to coaches and the info they’re giving me, and building relationships with them has been great.”

“Definitely, those schools the most,” Berry continued, referencing the Gators, Longhorns and Tigers.

Berry returned to LSU for another visit in July

Berry was back in Baton Rouge at the back end of July to attend the Bayou Splash.

The On300 playmaker has been to all sorts of functions at nearby LSU, from camp settings to games and practices. This visit provided a new dimension of the program to the state’s top junior.

“That was the first time I’ve been to something like that,” Berry said. “It was something new … I brought my Godbrother, Dad and my girlfriend out there, and they had a great time. My pops has been up there, and he and Frank chatted it up a little bit.”

“It’s always good to be at LSU,” he continued. “My Godbrother has been up there. It’s nothing new there, but great fun and my girlfriend loved it. It was just a good time.”

Included in the festivities was time spent time members of LSU’s 2024 class and key targets in-state for 2025 and beyond.

“It was a fun, chill day,” Berry added. His squad included LSU-committed DB Ju’Juan Johnson and recent four-star addition Caden Durham, as well as fellow On3 top-100 junior Louisiana RB James Simon. “My team won the competition.”

Texas, Florida making serious runs at the nation’s top RB

Tashard Choice has consistently earned commitments from the nation’s top running backs in each of the past two recruiting cycles after the immense success of Bijan Robinson under the watch of Choice and elite play-caller Steve Sarkisian.

Texas signed Cedric Baxter in 2023 and is in line to reel in Jerrick Gibson in 2024. The Longhorns are also poised to make a long-term run at Berry in 2025.

“I love Coach Choice,” Berry started on Texas. “Coach Choice, Coach Sark and Coach (Terry) Joseph are great coaches. Sark is definitely one-of-a-kind, and his offense — the way they run the ball is how I’d like to play.”

“Coach Choice is a great guy and very energetic,” he added on the Longhorns’ RB coach. “He definitely helps me out a lot.”

Berry was also in the Swamp in June and re-connected with several Louisiana-based members of the Gators’ coaching staff. That includes lead recruiter Jabbar Juluke, Florida’s running backs coach and Berry’s uncle, who also hails from New Orleans.

Along with LSU, both Texas and Florida are in line for in-season visits from Berry this fall.

USC, Penn State poised to host Berry for visits

Two other schools making some noise with the No. 1-rated running back in the On300 include USC and Penn State. The Trojans and Nittany Lions both have history when it comes to courting some of the nation’s most prolific backs.

Berry likes his fit in Lincoln Riley‘s wide-open open.

“USC is definitely the kind of offense a player like me would be in,” he started. “I would be in an open-field type of offense, not exactly a run-between-the-tackles. I have a lot of cousins out there and I definitely want to get out there for a visit.”

Berry also has high interest in Penn State’s tradition at the position.

“It’s up north and I want to see them and see what they’ve been talking about,” he said of the Nittany Lions, which have turned it up a notch since Berry since August kicked off.

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