Harp Exclusive: Quarterback reveals why he left, story behind his return

Junior quarterback J.J. Harp was nowhere to be found in Kingsville on Oct. 1 when the Lions lost their fourth consecutive game and saw starter Yogi Gallegos leave at halftime with an injury, because at the time he, technically, was not part of the team.

The Eastern New Mexico transfer had left the Lions during the days leading up to their match-up with the Javelinas in a shocking move that left A&M-Commerce with no choice but to throw on freshman Ryan Lusby when Gallegos went down. Just one day after the loss, Harp was back in Head Coach Guy Morriss's office and ready to be a Lion once again.

"[Morriss] said ‘Are you ready to play?' and I said ‘Yes sir, I'm ready to ball,'" Harp said. "He said all this stuff about we don't want to have any boiling water; they want it all under the table and let's put it all in the past. I said ‘I'm down for that.' He said that's the only way it was going to work. I shook their hands and went out."

Morriss said the team completely supports Harp and they are fortunate to have a system where two quarterbacks can make an impact.

"I believe the team is 100% behind him, and I don't think that was ever an issue, to be quite honest," Morriss said. "We've said all along we can win with either [Harp or Gallegos], so we're very blessed to have two good quarterbacks. We feel like either one of them can do the job."

In an exclusive interview with The East Texan, Harp said his decision to leave came down to expectations not being met and a feeling of disrespect.

The complete version of this story – with more from the Harp interview and Morriss – can be seen on the front page of this week's print edition of The East Texan. It will be available on the newspaper racks across campus starting Wednesday evening, Oct. 12.