Coming out of high school, Deeve Harris had the talent to play Power 5 football.

Two years away from the Power 5 has made him more mentally ready for the challenge, however.

Earlier this month, Harris, a 6-foot-2, 233-pound edge defender, committed to Colorado after two seasons at Old Dominion. Prior to that, he played two seasons at Minnesota.

“Oh, yeah. 100% (more ready for Power 5 this time),” Harris said. “I’m also very grateful for the opportunity because it’s like, you’re coming out of high school and the game’s gonna be fast; you’ve got a lot to learn. But once you’ve got experience under your belt and the actual why, I’m extremely excited to be able to get another shot at that and be able to show the world what I can do and glorify God’s name through the game.”

An all-state player at Lutheran North (Mo.) High School, Harris racked up 263 tackles, 67 tackles for loss and 20 sacks during his prep career. A three-star recruit, he signed with Minnesota and played two seasons with the Golden Gophers. He saw action in only one game, however, before transferring.

During his two seasons at ODU, Harris played in 23 games, posting 56 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He also returned two interceptions and a fumble for touchdowns.

“I learned I can be resilient and my leadership skills were exposed to me during that,” he said of his time at ODU. “It’s kind of like you go from a place like (Minnesota) to a place like this and everybody’s looking at you. So I learned that I have always been a leader and it kind of just showed to me through that transition.”

Having played Power 5 football before going to ODU, Harris isn’t worried about the transition to CU.

“Not much difference,” he said of Minnesota to ODU. “Game-speed wise, I feel like it’s a mentality thing, no matter where you at, especially when you’re dealing with college football. You’ve got guys from the age range of 18 and you might even go to 26. It’s just, you’ve got to compete.”

Harris, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, is eager to compete with the Buffs. He visited earlier this month and committed to CU on April 15.“I feel like (CU’s staff), they’re honest on their word,” Harris said. “They say, ‘We coming’ a lot and I feel like they’ve honestly got guys who are hands on and not looking for guys who were at a school necessarily with a name but they want real ballers, with real film and real stuff to show for it. I feel like they just held their word. They said they’re gonna find and reach out to the best ballers, which they’re doing and they are gonna continue to do it.”

Last week, Harris’ good friend and roommate, defensive lineman Chazz Wallace, also committed to CU. Taking the journey to CU with Wallace makes the change even more exciting.

“I’m geeked,” Harris said. “I’m really excited about it because Chazz, he’s a dominant football player but he’s an even better guy so it makes me feel comfortable to know I’ve got a guy who I’ll be familiar with around, so that does feel good.”

Harris is also “extremely excited” to be coached by CU head coach Deion Sanders, adding, “Who wouldn’t be?”

More than anything, though, Harris is excited to return to the highest level of college football and get to work.

“Talking to the coaches and seeing the things that they’re building up and seeing the things that they’re doing here, day in and day out, I’m excited to be a part of that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it, honestly.”