Marcus Harper II Interview: The Importance Of Versatility (2025 NFL Draft)
2025 NFL Draft

Marcus Harper II Interview: The Importance Of Versatility

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The No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks are fielding an explosive offense this season. A dominant offensive line is largely the reason why. Now in his senior season, starting right guard Marcus Harper II has been an extremely effective blocker for the Ducks offense.

Harper recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network. Harper discussed being the top-ranked program in the nation, their recent victory over Ohio State, his chemistry with fellow lineman Ajani Cornelius and Josh Conerly Jr., and so much more.

JM: You grew up in Chicago Heights, Illinois. That's a long way from Eugene. Did you experience any culture shock when you first got to Oregon?

Marcus Harper II: Absolutely I did (laughs). We have a lot going on in Chicago. We have the Bulls, the Bears, the Blackhawks, White Sox, and Cubs. If you come out to Eugene, we don’t really have any of that.

The Oregon football team is our Chicago Bulls back in the 1990s, and it’s our Chicago Bears as well. It’s our White Sox and our Cubs. It was definitely a little weird going from all of that to Eugene.

Eugene is a small little college town. It was approximately 2,000 miles away from my front door in Chicago Heights. It was exactly what I needed though. I came out here to Eugene and became the man I am today.

I needed to get away and break away from my comfort zone. I didn’t know anybody out here. I don’t have a single family member that lives on the West Coast. At the time, quote on quote, I wasn’t like a popular name or anything like that. I needed this life experience. But the culture shock, for sure it was evident.

JM: It’s been the life experience you needed. What a big-time win that was over Ohio State a few weeks ago, helping propel the program to No. 1 overall. The follow-up was a 35-0 shutout over Purdue. What's the vibe around the team right now?

Marcus Harper II: We’re just continuing to win. We see what the people are saying. We received some praise for that win over Ohio State, but we’re just blocking out all of the noise. Our focus is on winning the next game on our schedule.

Our focal point is to come out here and dominate every single Saturday. That’s our main focus right now. We want to win 24/7. Nothing else is more important. It’s all about winning.

When you have the group of guys we have, everybody is focused on winning as a team. What more can you ask for?

JM: You played a ton of left guard in 2022 and 2023, but you moved to right guard this season. Has that been a simple transition?

Marcus Harper II: It’s been pretty simple. I actually played right guard throughout my entire high school career. If anything, the initial move to left guard a few years ago was the more difficult part. I needed to get those left guard reps underneath my belt.

Going back to right guard now, it felt like going back to my regular position. Obviously when it comes to understanding the playbook and our terminology, things of that nature, it was a little bit different on the left side.

But the play style, the movements required, everything else was seamlessly better on the right side for me. When I went back to right guard, it kind of felt like going back home. I didn’t really have any difficulties with that.

JM: And speaking of the play style, Oregon runs a bunch of stuff on offense. Do you see yourself playing in a zone-based or a gap-based scheme? Where do you see yourself really thriving?

Marcus Harper II: I do love a predominant gap-based scheme. That’s probably where I see myself truly thriving.  I also love a scheme that calls for those outside zone runs though. I like running the football and getting defenders on the move.

I have high-level athleticism for my size so that outside zone stuff plays into my ability. I pride myself on that because not every offensive lineman I talk to feels comfortable running the football in outside zone. I can effectively run it because I’m a good athlete.

I love being an offensive lineman that can get on the move. I like seeing myself in an outside-zone scheme. It feels like a lot of offenses have transitioned to that [outside zone] in recent years.

I see myself having that versatility. I can play all three positions across the interior. I can run that outside zone, but I also love the gap/power stuff. I can bring a lot of positional and scheme flexibility to the table.

JM: With that said, what's your favorite play to run in the playbook?

Marcus Harper II: I love anything from our Z-Y counter to our G-T [guard-to-tackle] counter. As I said, I love our outside zone plays. I love our screens, our tunnel screens, our middle screens. Honestly, anything that gets me out in space really. 

I love showcasing my athleticism. All of those play-calls really get me going. I bring a lot of athleticism to the table. I think I’m one of the more athletic offensive linemen in college football nowadays.

JM: Speaking of, what a special group you guys are up front. Yourself, Ajani CorneliusJosh Conerly Jr. Talk to me about those guys and the relationship and chemistry you have with them.

Marcus Harper II: It’s kind of cool that I’ve gotten to play on both sides of the line because I’ve been able to develop a special bond with both of those guys. I understand how each individual works.

How Josh Conerly Jr. goes about his business is a little bit different from Ajani Cornelius. They both feed off of each other though. Josh holds himself to a high standard. Not that Ajani doesn’t, but Josh is very hard on himself.

Sometimes, Josh needs to talk himself down and make sure he’s keeping his head on straight. Ajani is a very chill guy. You don’t have to talk to him too much because he’s always even-keeled. He’s never on the ledge.

Sometimes Ajani and I will be on the sideline talking about the Ninja Turtles (laughs). We’re both from the East Coast so we talk about life back home, our different worlds. We’ll talk about the best pizza spots and things of that nature. We have those debates. Which places in Eugene play the best music? It’s a chiller, laid-back vibe. I don’t know what it is, but Ajani and I have great chemistry. It’s very natural and smooth. We talk a lot and it’s always very calm.

JM: This has been outstanding. We've appreciated your time. What are your goals for the remainder of this season, eventually heading into the College Football Playoff?

Marcus Harper II: Our goal is to keep winning. It’s that simple. I’m in my senior season now. I’ve played on a lot of different Oregon teams. This is by far the most special group I’ve been a part of.

We’re going to make sure that we continue winning down the line here. We’re going to keep our heads down and block out the outside noise. If we continue winning, everything else will take care of itself.



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