By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Despite recent allegations of racial inequality, the Iowa football team remains a favorite for 2022 running back Arlen Harris.

In fact, the St. Peters, Mo., native said that he wasn’t that surprised when he heard about the allegations which are currently under independent review by a Kansas City law firm.

“When I first heard it, it wasn’t like I was extremely shocked,” Harris said. “Because to me, being raised as a black man and a black teenager, I’ve always known that that’s just going to be everywhere for me. I’m not saying we should not look to that and try and fix it, but to me, I see it as – for Iowa – that’s just another way for them to get better and once they fix this problem that’s actually being exposed I feel like that’s just going to bring the team together and actually make them a better school.

“I know there are a bunch of other schools out there have haven’t gotten exposed, but have maybe even way worse stories to tell and problems that are happening today or right now. But as far as Iowa and what happened, some people may see it as a disadvantage, and some recruits may say ‘I’m never going to go there, they’re racist’ and this and that. But to me, that makes we want to be a part of fixing it and a part of change. So, I feel like that just makes Iowa to an advantage once they fix that.”

Iowa was among the first schools to extend a scholarship offer to the 5-foot-11, 189-pound Harris when he was a freshman and the two parties have been in frequent contact since.

Harris, who is considered one of the top running back prospects in Missouri, has also visited Iowa a handful of times.

Despite NCAA restrictions on in-person meetings between coaches and recruits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris said he has retained a strong bond with Iowa, in particular running backs coach Derrick Foster.

“I’d say (Iowa) is one of the top schools that has been staying on me and talking to me,” Harris said. “Me and coach Foster are really, really, really close, so me and him talk football all the time and sometimes we’ll just talk about daily life. But we’re on the phone pretty frequently, our relationship is real good. As far as Iowa, the relationship there is just great. It’s definitely top-notch as far as schools for me.”

Harris also mentioned Penn State and Michigan as other schools that he currently favors.

He also holds Power Five offers from Florida, Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska, among others.

Harris said he does not know when he’s going to narrow down his list of offers, but that Iowa’s persistence over time will play a major role when he does.

“That’s a huge part,” Harris said. “They offered me my freshman year and just seeing whether they were a school that was just going to offer me but never text me or keep that relationship. But Iowa has followed through since freshman year.

“They have not skipped a beat with me and they’ve always been there since the day they offered me and they’ve always stayed on me. I’ve been up there ever since building that relationship with coach. They’ve definitely followed through on their word and they continue to. I’m really excited about that, so when I choose a school or pick my top few schools, that factor definitely plays a big part.”

Last season, Harris rushed for 1,736 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Iowa currently has one player committed to its 2022 recruiting class in four-star Gowrie, Iowa defensive lineman Aaron Graves.