7 YEARS AGO, Rahjai Harris had all of Byrnes feeling icy.
Rahjai Harris and Byrnes entered the 2019 season with high expectations. Both the star senior RB and the Rebels as a team delivered.
Harris finished the 2019 season with 1,445 yards on just 169 carries (8.6 ypa) and 21 rushing touchdowns. He supplemented those stats in the passing game, hauling in 17 receptions for 195 yards and 4 more TDs.
Harris was one of the most reliable backs in Byrnes history. During his senior season, he lost just one fumble.
The senior RB’s most impressive performance during the season came on a chilly November evening vs. Laurens, where Harris rushed for an incredible 283 yards and 5 TDs. He led Byrnes to a huge 2nd-round playoff win.
Harris was a well-recruited running back coming out of college, but left the state of South Carolina to play for the East Carolina University Pirates.
That decision proved to be the right one for Harris, who would go on to cement himself as one of the best RBs in ECU history. He capped off an incredible college career in 2024 with a 220-yard performance in the Miltary Bowl vs. NC State, powering the Pirates to a historic 26-21 win with a late 86-yard TD run.
Harris finished his ECU career as the Pirates’ 2nd-leading rusher all-time, ahead of NFL names like Keaton Mitchell and Titans legend Chris Johnson.
Harris is rooted in Duncan and is still planted in the community, hosting his Rahjai Harris Youth Camp every year.
Don’t be surprised if you see Rahjai in the Nixon Field bleachers on Friday nights, either.
His younger brother, Chanin Harris, is a Syracuse commit entering his senior season as Byrnes’ star WR. HIs father, Rodney — a former star RB at Spartanburg High — will be there, too. His youngest brother, Caiyou, is next up in the line of successful Harris football players.
Harris lives by the motto “1% better every day,” and he’s exemplified that in all walks of life. He continues to work for the opportunity to one day play in the NFL, while simultaneously giving back to the Byrnes community and supporting the family who raised him.
7 days until high school football is back.
