Blue Devils Quentin Harris and Koby Quansah Change Narrative of Conn. Football

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Nutmeg state is known for its lobster and lighthouses: not football; but two Duke Blue Devils are trying to change that narrative about their home. 

In a 2017 SB Nation article, Connecticut accounted for 0.2 percent of blue-chip, four, or five-star, prospects from 2013 to 2017, which ranked the state 36th nationally. 

“Whenever I tell people I’m from Connecticut,” said senior linebacker Koby Quansah, “people say, ‘you guys got football in Connecticut?’ I get tired of telling guys we have players up there, and again, being from Connecticut, you kind of got to work ten times harder to prove to people that you have football in Connecticut. Even in the locker room, you kind of joke around, “who has the best (football) state?” I say Connecticut, and they still kind of bring that up.”

Redshirt senior quarterback Quentin Harris and Quansah are from Wilton and Manchester, Conn. respectively. According to 247Sports, Quansah earned the mark as the top-ranked player in Conn. in 2016; however, he only had three stars as the 461st ranked prospect in the nation. Harris was a three-star prospect, sixth-ranked in Conn. and 1,263th nationally, in the 2015 recruiting class.

“I think to a certain extent,” said Harris, “you’re under the radar. Obviously, coming from Connecticut, it’s not necessarily known as a hotbed for sports, but I think folks are starting to see the success of Connecticut student-athletes. Both Koby and I are from Connecticut. You got other guys like Christian Wilkins (Clemson), Tarik Black from Michigan and the list goes on and on. But definitely, some talented guys up there; but if anything, you kind of have a little bit of a chip on your shoulder. You might just have a little bit more to prove; that just because I’m from Connecticut, it doesn’t mean I can’t play college football.”

Both players have garnered success at Duke. Harris is slated for QB1, and Quansah is listed as the starting middle linebacker and he’s a preseason candidate for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is awarded annually to an FBS player with outstanding community service, academic and athletic achievements. Moreover, he’s a candidate for the Allstate AFCA Good Works team and was 1-of-8 Blue Devil rookies to earn a varsity letter in 2016. 

“I played at a small private school,” Quansah said. “So again, you’re playing against smart kids. So, one thing you bring to college is your level of mentality. How you can play fast, but think quick. It’s a lot different from Connecticut. Everybody’s good in college. So, everybody’s a lot bigger, a lot faster, so just you have to be able to adapt. I think that’s one thing guys from Connecticut have been able to do. You’ve seen guys who are from Connecticut around at different programs who’ve been able to play at a high level.” 

Harris played at the Taft School in Watertown, and was the first high-division I recruit the school had in years. He’s still involved in the program as a mentor to the younger players following in his footstep.

“You definitely feel like you take pride for Connecticut football,” Harris said, “and to perform well at the highest stage, so you continue to reflect well upon Connecticut. But, I wouldn’t say it’s something I necessarily think about everyday. But I’m definitely really proud of where I came from and represent Connecticut. And hopefully, we’ll continue to have great representation in the years to come with new athletes.”

(feature photo courtesy of Lawrence Davis)