Hometown Hero: RJ Harvey's UCF Football Journey

to see that RJ is called a HomeTown hero it just pretty much melt my heart big boy his work ethic and and how he carried himself it's exactly what you want in Hometown I mean he is a special special special rning Hometown hero that's big it's big when your best football player is also your best human being on your team or you're you know the one that is the most selfless and most considerate then something special is going to happen you find out about your players in the biggest moments and the special ones have that ability to rise touchdown RJ Harvey I'm sitting there in the stand and I'm like am I hear this correctly that they're chanting his name like oh my God this is this is awesome willing to do any and everything to help this team and then to help the program's future as well he worked hard for this moment and these opportunities that he's getting right now especially kids if they look at his journey and say okay RJ did this then I can do this too a lot of high school players I was just tell them that they don't have to leave the city to follow their dreams so as a kid R.J growing up I tell you it was a handful very busy just a normal boy you know getting into boy doing boy things when we purchase his first small football he would go to sleep with the football he would wake up with the football at night sometime when I would go in and check on him when he was much younger the football is there and it's like I'm like could he get have a teddy bear like what are we doing and so so he just loved that football we knew right then okay he's going to he's going to we think he's going to want to play football here come here he was always a loving kid always has been a loving kid always smiling always playing always a kid that you would love to be around he had a little small football that he slept with every night um in the bed um he learned how to throw that football I never forced him to play football I brought a flyer from the community center I brought it home sat it on the table and just sat it there and he saw it and he asked me he said Daddy am I going to play football and I said do you want to play football and he was like yeah I want to play football so that's how football started for him I just thought I think growing up with RJ as a brother we had a lot of fun um we did a lot of traveling a lot of playing around running around the house me and him had a little game that we would do in the house where we would play baseball and the couches where the bases so yeah that's what I remember who W he did number one Robert Harvey he's going to kick I started playing football I 5 years AG 2006 I believe when I first started playing flat football so Dad got him out there at the age of five and seemed like everything just took off of course when he first started out I'm one of the ones that Fringe if someone you know will bump him or knock him down oh my god of course I couldn't say nothing to dad cuz Dad like he's a boy he's okay and ever since then it's it's been like okay this is this is what we're doing so we were all in for what old I was at the football camp and there was a older guy teaching the younger kids uh the flag football kids and I didn't like what he was doing so I went to the director and said something to him I said um he's not teaching them anything and it just so happened that they needed another person he said well would you like to help and at first I said no I just want to be a parent I don't want to I don't want to get involved in the coaching thing right now I just want to be a parent he was like no but we need more and I was like thought about it so I went out there that same day and started playing around with them just because they were all of them were small um four and five year old kids playing flag football and it started from there that's how my coaching career started but the way I balanced it was at home I'm dead on the field I'm that set a bond that can't be broken me and him we used to go down to this ditch outside right in this neighborhood and uh he used to train me and uh you know doing just simple drills to help me start off learning football and uh throwing the ball together instead of having to go far way to a park we did it right here couple of hours every day pretty much um that was it this was perfect they don't cut it like they used they used to be real low they don't cut it low anymore like they used to yeah all my other friends in the neighborhood they used to come down here too used to play football just run like five on five games we all the quarterbacking was done you told him why you made me start playing quarterback oh no I didn't because he was so quiet and when everybody huddled up you know they get hyped up make making all the noise I said RJ you got to get hyped up with your team you got to get hyped up with your team and he would never do it so I said okay you going to play quarterback now you going to have to talk and he was like no daddy no no cuz now you got to say down said Hut or whatever it's going to be and you going to have to talk and he was like no no no from then on that's when he was playing quarterback so cuz he had to talk and that's how it started special young man I know he's quiet but he's a great person he's a really good player like changed the course of this program big time so we just going to start off by saying your name and then job Cameron Duke head football coach at Edgewater High School going on year eight as the head coach here what was RJ like when you first started here I took over as the head coach in January of 2017 so RJ was a sophomore going into his junior year 2016 Edgewater went 0 and 10 um so when I got the job in his first year as a starting quarterback uh we win the district we go 9 and3 we go to the second round of the playoffs and that was really a testament to him he was the guy that I could point to to the other players of this is what I want an Edgewater football player to be on and off the [Music] field my sophomore year that was my first time playing varsity football and we lost every single game cting the spring game and that was that was a crazy year we went through like three head coaches and I really I didn't want to stay at Edge then you know my dad told me to stay there then go coach Cameron Duke came and uh took over the program and he turned it around in 2017 and 2018 my last two years there that's when uh I really started blowing up and people started knowing who AR his junior year I knew he was going to be great at football and Coach Duke came into edge water and he developed RJ the way he did he just became a real football player everybody looked up to him they knew what RJ could do and his work ethic on the field was his lack of better that was his vote he might not have been very loud here with his words but his actions were very loud and and again what he did consistently how he trained how he worked how he was selfless how he loved his teammates how he worked in the classroom oh yeah being a quarterback you know all my teammates they looking up to me you know I I I wasn't really I'm still not really vocal like that but I live by my actions and my teammates seeing how hard that I work it it motivated them to work hard as [Applause] well his senior year I think it was the second round of the playoffs we're playing in Tallahassee uh at Tallahasse Lincoln and we're up there and we're down 14 nothing and a half on the road cold and there was some things that happened in the locker room where I think him and a few others challenged the guys in a really in a really positive way everybody was in there frustrated and I was just in there just calm I knew I was going to go out there just turn the whole game around and RJ came right out snapped the ball to him and he ran an 80 something yard touchdown that turned the ties of the game and we ended up winning that game and going to the next round of the playoffs you know I just knew that nothing phased him you could look him in the eye when things weren't going well and you knew that he was going to be able to go out there and make a play and also lead his team game after that 2018 we played Lee up in Jacksonville it was just hard down raining hold going I scor like four four rushing touch gam I crazy that game too I remember one game in Jacksonville where it was raining and we got soaked but they still won when we went to the Jacksonville game it was pouring down raining and you could tell some of the other players were kind of like more of laidback not RJ he was like it's not lightning we're going to do this and I mean drench pouring and we can see him running still running down the field and just to see him at that level was just amazing I was like oh my God look at this boy he didn't let the rain stop him at all he was all in all in and from there we were like okay so we're going to start waiting for these phone calls coming in because yeah it was a whole another level we were very impressed we were all so proud of him so proud yeah he was the exact person uh that I could point to the rest of the team and the school could look to of this is what we want a student athlete at Edgewater to be how he works how he trains how he cares about his teammates how he is respectful to the teachers how hard he tries in the classroom uh and then of course what he did on the field uh was incredible so you know he was the foundation um of this football program for many years to come uh we've been very successful the last seven years um and it we would not have been U as successful if it wasn't for R.J Harvey and what he did um his Junior and Senior year my first two years at Edgewater High [Music] School you look at the numers for RJ Harvey this guy can really get it done his vision his patience his strength his balance and he has the home run hitting speed I mean he is a special talent RJ some team is going to be so lucky my first offer didn't come until late June year throughout the spring and that whole summer like they just kept rolling in like offers as running back and Quarterback UCF coach hype and coach leby and Coach Tucker they ended up offer me as a running back that this was right after the 2017 Year too where uh UCF went 13 and0 like they beat Auburn they be Co good so it it was pretty cool to see that what a win and what a season for UCF Perfection they used to bring MacKenzie muton out to my high school games but my mind is it it's always been on playing quarterback of course yeah we wanted him to stay home he had such a fan base at edgew high school and so many people that was rooting for him and you know we thought about it like my daughter was at UCF at the time and so you know hey this would be nice you know but I wanted to leave it to him I wanted to leave it up to him we sat in in my office and talked all the time about you know what is it that you want in colleges he had a lot of colleges that wanted him to come play running back out of high school he still wanted to continue uh to play quarterback I just love playing quarterback and University of Virginia they gave me the chance to do it so I went out there in the cold and like 15 hours away from home and decid to go out there and play quarterback at the beginning I did want him to stay in Florida but we went and visited other schools he ended up at the school that he ended up up in Virginia and it was a nice school he liked it it just didn't work out for him up there so when he came back home put his name in the transfer portal I got the first call from the UCF the running back coach and he asked me how how was RJ doing I see he's in the transfer portal and I was like yes he is in the transfer portal he said what is his plans and I said well we just looking for the right spot for him he said well I just want to let you know that we're still interested uh we still want him as the running back we can develop him into a good running back once I got in the portal my mind open more and you know coz D he was in contact with UCF too while I was in the portter he told me that they wanted me as a running back thought about it prayed about it and just being local and being close to family and friends and of course coach d as well like UCF it was the best decision when he was making the transition to come to UCF he was in this office and we had a long conversation about next steps and my advice all my athlet is pray about it ask God for wisdom and then seek wise counsel and I know he did that when he was in the portal I'm trying to decide which school he wanted to go to and UCF was an option I was kind of excited cuz I am an Alum go nice um so I was pretty excited about that um he did have other other options but UCF was I was excited for him to come home we were very very excited about that for one we're so family oriented like we it's family family family and so he had his support system here yes I did I wanted him to stay home when I first got to UCF I was a walk on you know coach height he promised me uh put me on full scholarship once the next year came around so right before he left to go to Tennessee he put me on full scholarships so I'm thankful for him for that [Music] I believe that he's the right guy at the right time to lead this program it's time to rise again I want to introduce your new head coach Gus [Applause] melon what were your first impressions ofj when you took this job my first thoughts when I saw RJ playing the running back possession you could tell he had a skill set uh good lateral quickness uh you know he was learning to play the running back position and you could tell that he had a chance to really be special you know after that first year when I found out coach Gus was coming to be the UCF head coach as a coach hype left uh I was I was just ready to show him what type of player I was and just to prove to him that I could play in his offense and showcase my skills the first spring under Gus uh I was still learning how to play running back it's some guys that they they'll tell you like I didn't even know how to take a hand off so uh I'm grateful for Greg McCrae and Otis Anderson and bavis Thomas like they were in they were older guys in the room when I was a young guy coming in not knowing how to play running back so just watching them and learning from them that really helped me uh take my game to the next level going into the 2021 screen so whenever I first got here at UCF in 2021 I was the um assistant running back coach I helped coach Harris RJ I think it was his first year here too you know um he came in and he was one of those guys that worked his butt off you know he was a guy that was actually competing for the for the starting job cuz it was open CU he was new staff and then you know he was doing really good had a really good spring and he ended up having a a seriously leg injury that that it cost him to sit out the whole [Music] year turn my ACL it was it it was devastating to me I've been doing this for my whole life and I want to continue to do it so I I was down on myself but thankfully I had great support around me you know my teammates they kept my head high and my my family they was always there for me my coaches they they always told me that if I need anything just let them know physical therapist michila she was working with me hard like we were going at it every day trying to get trying to get me back healthy I think the biggest thing for us you know when you you know at this level you coach a lot of really talented guys and just you know being honest not everyone is built the right way mentally when you talk about being strong mentally overcoming adversity and he had that adversity going through the injury in 20121 and that was probably the first time in his career where you know he just wasn't able to play by being injured as nothing he could do about it and he struggled a little bit then but the way that he bounced back and just let his work take over that's what I really appreciate it as a coach he's a guy that like when people always tell him he can't do something he prove him wrong you know most people don't give him his credit and I feel like he's a guy that when whenever his back against the wall he always come through and and push to the top so yeah I went hard in rehab and workouts and and eventually I just got better I knew that I had to prove to them what I could do you know throughout practice I worked hard trying to show that yeah I told him my ACL but I can still go out there and play throughout that uh throughout the 2022 year uh I think I I didn't play the first three or two games so I remember after the I want to say after the Louisville game I didn't get in that game so I I was mad I was I was doing great in practice and I was I just wanted why like why wasn't I playing so after the game I told my parents like I don't want to play football no more but they told me to just stay calm and God God got something for me he's going to make everything work out and I think I want to say that next week we play FAU you know I I got in during the fourth quarter Co Gus put me in and I just took advantage of all the Reps that I had and I ended up scoring my first Collegiate touchdown and that was that was a huge deal for me I fell in love with the game of football again after thato it's a touchdown up the [Applause] middle let's go R yeah yeah yeah I thought that was really good for him to get in there and have some success right there held on the football and uh really did some good th [Applause] first talk about it snacks more was good for time wor [Applause] for that setback that I had it definitely pushed me forward you know I don't take football for granted like I wouldn't say I took it for granted back then but now I definitely don't take it for granted cuz now I know that it could be taken away from you just like that so I'm not going to sit down all day and just think about that and just dwell on it because everything happened for a reason there you go keep working now up now you getting into it right left there you go at the 2022 year coming off my injury uh I still didn't have a lot a lot of confidence my trainer dantarion uh we call him lordy but he he played a big part in me getting my confidence back throughout the 2022 year you know we focused a lot on agility movements and uh cutting and being able to uh go out there and just play and not focus on my knee wherever God Almighty leads you down that road that's where you're going trust what you're doing um and work hard that's what it requires to work hard you got to work hard nothing is going to be given and that was one of the things I always told him nobody's going to give you anything you got to work for it you got to take it you got to want it just always just be ready just be ready for the moment and I feel like RJ is a a prime example of being ready to go whenever his number's called and he he's a Difference Maker Scott big game I know a lot of people on the field fired up give me a of what that field is like and without a question guys the atmosphere is beginning to build night fans down here on their feets they are fired up sunny skies at FBC Mortgage stadium in the 2022 edition of UCF and Cincinnati is underway we had a point to prove that game and I was you know I was still I still didn't have a lot of confidence cuz of my knee and the big knee brace that I had on but I was out there moving like I didn't have a knee brace onve and a Ying hole hary gone touchdown 26 y for a touchdown on a surgically first and 10 this is Harvey who has a touchdown brought down after a gain of two by Deshawn pace so obviously senior fa sherff RJ Harvey what makes him special as a running back and that boy got it all he Twitchy um he got power run through you make you miss great IQ he know what he know what's going on in the game so yeah that's what make him special not many backs and do what he do we're so grateful that he's here in Orlando where everyone can come and having that whole family atmosphere it takes it on to a whole another level when I was at UCF I would go like as a student but it's it's completely different when you're cheering for a brother it brought back a lot of memories from his high school days his his little league days and just like having all of our family together cheering for him it's a special moment electrifying the pr family members you say at its PE so it's Mom dad the sisters we have the Auntie so we have Auntie Shante Auntie Shante Auntie Tyra Auntie Jackie Uncle Greg um Uncle Tim granny Auntie Mary um and then we have Delon we have Kylie Kendall um we have Kiren we have Mariel oh boy oh my goodness who am I missing um and all of his friends um so yeah it's it's quite a bit of us there at the games rooting him on I'm hoping I'm not missing anyone but yeah it's quite a few of us 2118 Cincinnati UCF second and seven at the Cincinnati 17in game when we were down I think that was his big come out I wasn't really nervous cuz I know that I'm going to always give 100% of whatever I do you find out about your players in the big moments and the special ones have that ability to rise RJ Harvey the running back can he be a hero on this night against the Bearcats of Cincinnati they've been running the football effectively so keep handed it off if they want to run into the end zone and he spinned off and bagged he cut it back he broke a tackle he spun he went in backwards for that touchdown and the crowd went crazy [Applause] he broke a couple of tackles on his way to the end zone for the touchdown yes he did yes he did second touchdown of the day that ACL injury is a tough thing physically and mentally to come back from but he's made it this far and boy what a great moment for that young man RJ Harvey we I have people to come up and me high fiveing I'm getting heals right now just thinking about it I remember us cheering standing up on the stand my mom was going crazy my mom knocked curone over the stairs it fell on the ground somebody had to bring it up to us when we talk to him afterwards he's just as home like like it's nothing and we're all like like dude did you just do and he's like nonchalant like okay what does it mean for you as a HomeTown hero to be able to perform like you perform in front of like your home crowd fans Families how much does it mean you being Orlando kid to perform like it feel great I had probably like 25 people here had had to find tickets all my old teammates and friends came to the game had a good game today put on put on the show for it feel good to see that RJ is called a HomeTown hero I mean as a father as a parent it just pretty much milked my heart Hometown hero that's big it's big you know him finding his way back here and being able to show that being at you f as a local guy and having the success that he's had like it can be done here and you know you don't have to go very far to accomplish the things that he's accomplishing and he's a living uh lesson to those young guys that are looking at our program right now a lot of high school players around the around the area I was just telling that they don't have to leave the city to uh follow their dreams you know UCF is a great spot to go to school and and play football since I've been the head coach here our goals have been to keep our top players at home and the fact that he is one of the best running backs probably one of the best offensive players in college football he happens to be right down the road Hometown hero that helps us you know I probably never have gone as nuts watching a college football game um as watching him play at UCF and uh I think all of Orlando is like that they're watching a young man who's from here uh play at their Hometown school and playing on a national stage gets me very excited and so does it with the rest of the coaches here and and the people and teachers and administrators and principles they're pulling for RJ because of the Legacy that he left from his time here how important can it be for a kid this age to have a moment like this with you yeah it's a blessing uh the all these kids coming out here to uh support me and I'm helping them polish their skills and their game and uh you know it's it's [Music] great I just wanted the surrounding kids in this area to just go out there and have fun and to uh you know just to see a a a college athlete in person you know I know when I was younger I didn't have that those a lot of those opportunities hopefully it continue to motivate want to play the sport of football I was just kind of watching him with the younger group of boys it just amazes me how he the patience that he has with them he did such an awesome job with those with those boys out there and they really enjoyed it they really enjoyed it he loves the kids he loves the community and I think especially kids if they look at his journey and say okay RJ did this then I can do this too if they look at that they'll be well on their way he gives so much of himself he tries to help everybody he can he wants everybody to be happy he can pick up when you're feeling down he's just he's a special person you know he's a young man that doesn't let the The Superficial things on the outside kind of take take him over and again our youth at every level they need to see more guys like that that you know he's not the most flashy guy he don't open his mouth a whole lot but all he does is work and and what shows what come from that is Success that he has man one of the biggest bright spots I've ever been around in my coaching career how does rj inspire you um RJ inspires me to work harder like as a person overall and especially in football because like when I watch him he just have like a hard work e and he's like actually good at playing what he loves why because I like his motivation and a way he tell to mess up he tell to go back and do it and don't don't don't quit man play he inspires me by working hard uh coachable uh how to play better and just yeah yeah make it good work and running doing drills good stay in school get your grades up Do not drop out stay in school that's it thank you I mean he pushed me to be the best and and I need that hey I just want to thank y'all for coming out here I just want to say y'all make sure y'all stay in school and keep y grades up and uh make sure y'all work hard hey hard work three hard work me3 what I know about him is he cares about people really well so he's not doing this for the accolades for him he cares about being great for UCF and their football team and the coaching staff and his teammates um he's doing it for his family he's doing it for Orlando um so he's not just doing this I for for him or for his glory he's doing this for a greater purpose I know that and I also know that um you know his his faith is very strong and very real and you see that with how he's been able to persever throughout the whole entire 2023 year I was fully confident in myself like I went out there every game just knew that I could do anything RJ Harvey to the ins the out of the back field does he have enough speed he know touchdown Haring through the back door and into the end zone touchdown night what a night for RJ Harvey three touchdowns goes over a th000 yards for the season when the crowd was hearing my name during the game uh I at first I didn't even hear it like I was on the field I think we were on offense when they start doing it and then like I think after the play I just started hearing my name I started hearing the proud Channon it it meant to you know I love all the fans at UCF final score your UCF C 45 the Oklahoma State Cowboys RJ RJ RJ RJ RJ r r r r r Ry me [Applause] [Music] go obviously RJ's been a leader on the team for what's it like now that he has the captain patch on his chest yeah he's earned it uh he's earned it you know he's one of those guys everybody's got him up here he's earned that but he hadn't fletched he's actually started working harder and just that respect he doesn't say a lot but the respect that he has for his teammates he every day he shows up and if you just lined our guys up and you'd say you know be around them for 10 minutes you wouldn't you you'd think the top guys you know they' have like ego and look at me he's completely different he's just like everybody else that's really one of his strengths if not his biggest Str RJ had to work himself to where he is now you know we look at what the product was of last season for him and it was a really great season but you know it wasn't that when he walked in the door he really had to take every step from the bottom of the running back dep chart learning how to play the position to now and his teammates respect the heck out of him because no matter how much success he had last year you wouldn't know that by the way that he works he works extremely hard on and off the field for this program I want my whole team to just go out there with no regrets this year to just play hard and just love each other and just go out there and win that's the main goal just to win alling we here coach shouldn't have to tell you to go hard it's a mindset it's a mentality all this chattering about being the best group in the country not out here putting the work it's not going to happen we got to come out here to work man let's go 2 you know I I've always loved that he didn't love the Limelight he always gave credit to other people he's a very selfless young man I have watched him grow and you know every time I see him I think he's you know even more more matur in that in that way man the team the whole team love him call him G he he can walk in here right now everybody in the building has a lot of respect for him you would never know that he's one of the best U running backs in college football just cuz he's so selfless and he he's willing to do anything that we asked him to do here you know so that's I've learned just that a guy can be talented and put up you know the numbers that he did but be all about his team you know he wants to take care of the guys that make this all possible for him how does it feel to have another career game yeah it feel good all the praise goes to the o line all you running back out there make sure y'all get your old line right they make the way they makeing everything possible you know no bu they hook me up with some stuff I got some gift for you guys got two pairs of shoes for everybody and some shirts so y y'all just come up and get it let go win now you know already do RJ is definitely one of those guys that you love to block for cuz you know he's going to make a play and me and RJ are pretty good friends so I love seeing him have success the way he's been having RJ man that's one of a kind right there his vision man like the way he could just see certain holes like he his cut and everything is just different and that's not very many running backs who could man make the cuts and shoot the guys like RJ knowing where he has come from to where he is now it took patience for it to happen and his vocalism is different it's like wow y he RJ talks now in front of the camera actually this my first time ever talking in front of the camera and to see him do it it's like okay and when you all ask I was like okay I got to do it too and oh my son do it so why not me I can see that from when he was younger how the confidence level is on a whole another level it's on a whole another level now it's like oh my God look at you it's like a flower just just you know butting out and it's just it's it's amazing and I'm so proud of him I'm so proud of him RJ the sky is a limit for the guy he transferred in he still learning the running back position last year so you know he feels really comfortable now he was healthy and the sky is a limit for him yeah I got I was just telling my younger self to just trust the process just know that it's light always at the end of the tunnel so work hard of course keep your head up and keep pushing it you know that everything going to be all right and you'll overcome and get to your destination yeah I would just tell him to just stay focused and uh that big things are coming once he get older [Music] [Music]