MISSOULA — When Xavier Harris arrived to Montana from southern California, it was the fall of 2020 in the middle of a canceled season, and he was entering a new-look life in a brand new state.
That's a lot of pressure for anyone, but Harris was ready for the challenge.
"Pressure is kind of was engraved in my body and my blood, so it's nothing much to just adapt to it and just get what I needed to get done," Harris said.
Harris credits his family preparing him for the big move, and knowing his backstory, it makes sense.
Harris has eight siblings — four brothers and four sisters — and he's the oldest of them all, meaning the elder sibling had to grow up and mature fast to set an example.
"I was a father before being a father," Harris said with a laugh. "It's kind of crazy, but it's funny. You know, I always try to make sure my little siblings are good whenever I can. They know I'm busy. Some are mad that I'm busy, but I try to talk to them and, you know, show them as much love as I can when I have the time."
It was hard at first for Harris to make the move to a new state and to leave his large family who he holds near and dear.
But he knew it was all part of his own maturing and growing process as he entered college as an athlete.
"I do feel like I matured at an early age solely because, even growing up with my uncles, there was no one around my age," Harris said. "They were either six years younger than me or 12 years older than me. I made a lot of mistakes at a young age. So it's like, I kind of grew up knowing what not to do and trying to still figure out what I can do and everything like that. So it's just something I got to adapt to and just grow up to.
"Even coming here as a freshman, you know you're still going to make mistakes, you're still a teenager, you're still 18, you still learn as you grow. And all I can say is I'm grateful that I did come here and I grew the way I did."
That early maturing was big for Harris on the field, as in the spring of 2021 as a freshman, he saw heavy game action immediately in UM's shortened season. That workload carried into the fall of 2021, and Harris has been a constant in UM's offense ever since.
But after serving as a running back his whole career, Harris has made the switch to receiver in the slot, where the Griz are finding more ways to utilize his skillset, which wound up being the case in Montana's opener as Harris played a major role in the win. Harris caught three passes for 69 yards, including a pivotal touchdown late in the third quarter that gave the Griz the lead for good against Missouri State.
"I feel like my role has always been the same. It's just I'm at a different lineup than where I usually am," Harris explained. "I'm still a playmaker that has to make plays when needed."
In his career at Montana, Harris has scored 11 touchdowns — nine rushing and two receiving — while having racked up 1,329 yards on the ground and 317 more in the passing game. He'll graduate with a degree in sociology in December after he concludes his playing career.
It's been a special run at UM with his teammates, but Harris has also got to do it with childhood friend in wide receiver Aaron Fontes, as the two kids from Oxnard, California found a home in Missoula with their light-hearted yet focused attitudes and dynamic abilities, and now have their eyes on one final run together in getting the Griz back at the very top.
"It's like family came with you," Harris said. "You know, that's my brother through thick and thin. I'm going to stick with him through everything. He's going to stick with me through everything. Even when we started playing when we were 10 years old together. We're 12 years down the line. I'm glad I got to do this with him.
"The time has come. It's kind of crazy how these four years did go by fast, because I still remember coming on my visit here in 2019, Oct.5, and Griz were playing Idaho State. I still remember that day vividly. So it was kind of crazy and surreal that we come to my time now."
