When he signed with Hinds Community College two years ago, DeMichael Harris did it with the intent of proving himself on the football field and improving his recruiting stock.

Mission accomplished.

Harris, a former St. Aloysius star, signed with Southern Miss on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s signing period for junior college players. He had committed to Southern Miss in April and said there was no chance of wavering.

“It felt like family, especially with (head) Coach (Jay) Hopson being from Vicksburg, and Southern Miss is a place I’ve always wanted to go,” said Harris, who plays wide receiver. “It feels great to see the juco route pay off. I worked hard and hustled to make it happen.”

Harris was the Gatorade Mississippi Track and Field Player of the Year at St. Al in 2015 and 2016, and ran track at Hinds as well. He will only play football at Southern Miss.

Despite that, Southern Miss wide receivers coach Desmond Lindsey said Harris’ track pedigree means he will bring an elite speed threat to the Golden Eagles’ offense.

“He’s a very talented return guy who can even play running back. We’ll be playing him in the slot,” Lindsey said. “He comes with a lot of speed. He’s a football player who can run track, as opposed to a track guy that plays football. He’s just special. He’s a great kid. He does very well in the classroom. He’s just a Southern Miss guy. I think he’s going to bring a lot of special things to this place.”

Harris was a versatile jack-of-all-trades during his time at Hinds. He was used as a kick returner, as well as a slot receiver and running back. He led the Eagles in all-purpose yardage each of the past two seasons and returned a kickoff for a TD each year.

In 2017 he led the Eagles with 942 all-purpose yards and was second on the team in receiving with 29 catches for 259 yards.

Harris expects to fill a similar role for Southern Miss.

“They wanted me to be the go-to guy in the return game, and as a deep and underneath threat as a receiver,” he said.

In addition to Southern Miss, Harris was being recruited by Marshall and Troy. With most things being equal, he said the chance to play close to home was also a deciding factor in his decision to sign with USM.

“At the end, I decided to go with Southern Miss. It was close to home and a school I always wanted to go to,” he said. “If I was going to play in Conference USA, I’d rather play in Conference USA here than go 11 hours away to West Virginia to do it.”

In addition to being the first day junior college players could sign with four-year schools, Wednesday marked the beginning of a new era in college football as the start of the early high school signing period. For the first time, players were able to sign in December instead of having to wait until February.

Southern Miss took full advantage of the opportunity to lock in some of its recruits. Harris was one of a dozen players who signed with Southern Miss on Wednesday.

The Golden Eagles reeled in six junior college transfers and six high school players.

Among the juco transfers was Northwest Mississippi quarterback Jack Abraham. The former Oxford High School star spent one redshirt season at Louisiana Tech, then transferred to Northwest and helped the Rangers reach the MACJC championship game.

Abraham threw for 2,949 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions in 337 pass attempts this season. He had four 300-yard games and a passer rating of 154.8.

His stellar junior college season came after he threw for more than 12,000 yards and 130 touchdowns in his high school career at Oxford.

Abraham will join a crowded quarterback room at Southern Miss. Kwadra Griggs and Keon Howard — who will be a senior and junior next season, respectively, split playing time this season. Rising sophomore Marcelo Rodriguez was one of the prizes of last year’s recruiting class, and there are five other quarterbacks on the roster.

“We’re very fortunate to get Jack,” said Southern Miss offensive line coach Erik Losey, who recruited Abraham. “We really like what he does as far as when he gets the ball in his hand. He obviously has great velocity on all of his shorter throws and does a great job with his touch on the deep stuff. We’re excited about him.”

Southern Miss’ early signing class was heavily tilted toward the defensive side of the ball. Harris, Abraham, wide receiver Neil McLaurin and high school lineman Kameron King were the only offensive players among the dozen signed.

On the defensive side, USM brought in linemen Von’Darius Freeman and Ethan Edmondson; linebackers Hayes Maples and Ty’Ree Evans; and defensive backs Ty Williams, Nicario Harper, J.J. Jones and Curry Benn.

Williams and Evans played at East Mississippi Community College last season. They helped lead the Lions to the NJCAA national championship in 2017. Evans led the team with 101 tackles, including seven for loss, and was the MVP of the national title game against Arizona Western.

McLaurin played at Southwest Mississippi. He was a first-team All-Region 23 selection after catching 36 passes for 688 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Maples played at nearby Oak Grove High School, and participated in last weekend’s Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game.