What Harold Fannin battled to become top NFL draft prospect
BOWLING GREEN TIGHT end Harold Fannin Jr. appears suspended in midair, his body lunging toward the goal line. His arms are outstretched, one holding the football, his legs tucked underneath him.
It looks like he is flying.
The image capturing his 9-yard touchdown reception in the Falcons’ 41-26 win over Toledo on Oct. 26 perfectly encapsulates the entire Fannin journey: from under-recruited prospect to the top tight end in the nation, lifted through tragedy, the memories of his sister and grandfather buoying him.
By his own admission, Fannin says, “I could have been scraping by; now I feel like I’m flying by.”
Where to next? ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has Fannin listed as the No. 1 fullback/H-back prospect in 2025, but Fannin is quick to point out he is focused on the next game. Bowling Green faces Western Michigan Tuesday night (7 ET, ESPN2) with MAC championship game implications on the line.
There is little doubt Fannin will have a decision to make when the season comes to an end. His projected draft position has skyrocketed thanks to a remarkable junior season. Fannin has 73 catches for 1,033 yards and six touchdowns, ranking No. 1 among tight ends in 17 different categories, including receptions, yards, touchdowns, yards after the catch (585), broken tackles (24) and first downs (49).
Last week, he broke the single-season school record for receptions and is the 16th tight end in FBS history with 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Since he became a starter last year, Fannin has been targeted 146 times. He has one drop.
“I really never could imagine it or never even really thought about something like this,” Fannin said. “It doesn’t seem real at all.”
BEFORE EVERY GAME he plays, Fannin takes out a black marker and writes something on the tape he puts on each wrist. On the right side: 7/26, the date his maternal grandfather, Benjamin Smith, passed away. On the other, a message in honor of his late sister, Haria Wise. Sometimes he writes “10/23 Haria,” referencing the date she died. Other times he writes “Haria” with a heart, or “In Loving Memory Haria.”
Fannin, who also has an older brother and two other sisters, was especially close with Smith and Wise growing up in Canton, Ohio. Haria was one year older than him, and the two rarely spent time apart. Their mother, Lakeesha Wise, raised a tight-knit family — in her home, dance-offs would break out at a moment’s notice. But Harold and Haria were so close in age that she describes them as twins. They’d always be discreetly whispering to each other or cracking each other up with inside jokes.
Smith lived just down the road and served as a role model to Fannin. While Lakeesha worked, Smith would drive Fannin to his football practices every day, and the two would watch NFL football on Sundays.
