CLEVELAND, Ohio — HGTV, short for Home & Garden Television, features shows that bring dream homes to life for families.
As an 11-year-old, Harold Fannin Jr. regularly watched the channel with his mother, Lakeesha Wise, in their Canton home.
Together, they dreamed.
Of a spacious home with the design and amenities of their choice, where life is peachy; one that the whole family would love, and especially his mother.
“Growing up with a big family, my mom did the best that we could have,” Fannin said. “Sometimes you click on and be like, ‘Man, I want to live there when I get old.’ ”
Every night, Fannin laid in bed with these dreams in mind. In April, they became reality when the Bowling Green tight end was drafted No. 67 overall by the Browns.
And on Sunday against the Bengals at Huntington Bank Field, Fannin will play his first NFL game, and not just in a small role. The Browns want Fannin’s ability to catch passes and then turn them into big plays to be an important feature of their offense in 2025.
Fannin is just getting started, but he’s already made a huge impact for his family and his hometown.
“He’s sort of breaking generational curses,” Wise said. “I wish I had other words to say about it, but he has definitely changed the dynamics in our family and our community.”
Good kid, mad city
Canton and other communities facing challenges often have elements that can negatively influence young potential leaders before they realize it: Drugs, crime, fast money.
“It’s an OK place,” Fannin said. “It’s just really who you hang around. You know, I surrounded myself by good people.”
Canton is no different. And in these communities, there’s two paths to choose from.
The left way.
“You’re looking down one road, and you have all of these different things because the crime and stuff is super high sometimes in Stark County,” Wise said.
And the right way.
“You look down the right path, it seems a little lonely and quiet. There’s no one really cheering for you on that side until you make it to the NFL.” Wise said.
The son of Wise and Harold Fannin Sr. turned to the right, staying close to his three older siblings and younger sister: Tajae, Haria, Christiana, and Sky. Wise especially credits his brother Tajae for helping keep Fannin on the straight and narrow.
“He was a no-nonsense kind of guy. Even to this day, he’s so analytical,” Wise said. “Having a big brother like that who kind of paints pictures, and gives you ideas of what could come in certain directions. ... (Fannin) never had to stray into a different direction because he had his siblings.”
Harold Fannin Jr. in his youth football days
Fannin on the sideline during grade school football years. (Photo by Lakeesha Wise, used with permission)Lakeesha Wise
Football was always in the family, especially on Sundays when the Browns were playing.
Fannin’s interest in the sport sparked when he watched Tajae play.
“I used to go to my older brother’s games...after going I was like, ‘Why not try it out?’ So my mom got me into football,” Fannin said.
There was also NFL running back Le’Veon Bell. He went from Groveport Madison High in central Ohio to a standout career at Michigan State. As a pro, Bell was one of the NFL’s best running backs, earning three All-Pro and three Pro Bowl nods from 2013-21.
Bell’s best years were with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland’s fiercest rival. But it didn’t matter to a young Fannin.
Every Sunday, Fannin studied Bell as much as possible, from his style of running, to his explosiveness and tight cuts, even studying his demeanor.
“Just how (Bell) looked, he just looks so calm, I kind of want to be that same way,” Fannin said. “Just look calm under pressure...I want to be able to shoot off at the same time.”
A young Harold Fannin Jr.
Fannin on the sideline during grade school football years. (Photo by Lakeesha Wise, used with permission)Lakeesha Wise
Fannin applied Bell’s calm demeanor and explosive style to his game during his youth football days. Wise and company watched and realized he had talent.
“As soon as he was playing for them, I was saying, ‘He’s gonna make some NFL. You guys should come to the games.’ I did that his entire life,” Wise said.
And while Bell was Fannin’s role model for football, his No. 1 sports role model was Akron native and NBA legend LeBron James. Geographically, Akron is next to Canton, and James’ philanthropy has stretched to both areas.
That included donating bikes to the area’s youth. A young Fannin attended one of James’ events, received a bike and was inspired.
“That really hit the city in the heart,” Fannin said. “It just really inspired me that I want to be like him when I get older. I want to be able to kind of have as much money as him, just to get back to my community.”
Fannin was just a kid from Canton who dreamed big. Even translating these thoughts into illustrations on paper.
“He would tell me, ‘When I go to the NFL, I’m gonna buy you a brand new washer and dryer.’ Wise said. “Most kids were drawing pictures of shoes and things like that. He was drawing pictures of houses.”
Growing pains
Canton McKinley High School’s football legacy runs deep.
Currently ninth nationally in all-time high school football wins with 889, the Bulldogs also have won 12 state titles and three national titles.
The program is a breeding ground for future pros, including Hall of Famer and Browns legend Marion Motley.
“For Canton kids, we didn’t imitate or emulate Ohio State players or the Cleveland Browns,” said Antonio Hall, Fannin’s senior year coach at McKinley. “We grew up imitating the guys we saw on Friday nights. Canton McKinley, that’s your world. And as a kid growing up playing football, that’s who you wanted to be.”
Fannin was ready to etch his name into McKinley’s legacy.
But there was only one problem: He wasn’t a running back anymore.
Then-varsity head coach Marcus Wattley saw a defensive back in Fannin -- specifically, a safety.
Fannin was a team player and followed along, but knew what he could do.
“Every day I practiced, I felt I could play any offensive position. But the team at the time, they needed me to play safety, so I just stuck to that,” Fannin said.
Harold Fannin Jr. HS years
Fannin makes a play during his years as a safety for the Canton McKinley Bulldogs. (Photo by Lakeesha Wise, used with permission.)Lakeesha Wise
As a sophomore in 2019, Fannin logged 42 tackles and two interceptions. In 2020, he broke up eight passes during a season limited by COVID.
Three years in, and Fannin was still under-recruited, but not because he wasn’t good on the field. It was the classroom.
During the pandemic, schools had to transition to online schooling. With so much happening in the world, school was the last thing on the minds of many students.
Fannin was part of the trend, and the effects led not only to underwhelming grades, but also his light recruitment.
“I’m a kid in high school, I’m playing the (video) game,” Fannin said. “I’m not really thinking about my future and stuff like that.”
Between battling limitations in the classroom and on the field, it was a tough time for him.
But dreaming? He never gave up on that.
Last chance
Ahead of Fannin’s senior season, Wattley was out as McKinley head coach.
Enter Hall, McKinley’s new head coach.
Hall is a McKinley alum and was part of the 1997 squad that won both an OHSAA state championship and the USA Today national title.
He had played for Kentucky, then spent a brief time with the Indianapolis Colts and some years in the Canadian Football League.
Hall knew of Fannin from around the way, and of his play at safety, but also made him a wide receiver.
Why? Because as he puts it, your best guys don’t leave the field.
“The caliber of football player that Harold is, you definitely don’t want to take him off the field, because he’s very cerebral,” Hall said.
Harold Fannin Jr. and siblings
Harold Fannin Jr. with sisters, Haria and Sky, after a game.Lakeesha Wise, used with permission
Fannin took what he had learned defensively and applied it on offense, developing a football IQ that future coaches would notice.
“His football intelligence is off the charts,” Hall said. “He understands concepts quickly...he’s very perceptive, he’s really good at creating spacing and has amazing hands. He has the best hands out of any guy that I’ve seen live.”
It worked.
Offensively, Fannin put in work with 36 receptions for 601 yards and six touchdowns.
But it was the defensive side where Fannin made his mark.
Harold Fannin Jr. at the WHBC All County Banquet
Harold Fannin Jr. (back row, second from right) stands with his trophy and plaques at the WHBC All County Banquet, an event held by Canton radio station, News-Talk 1480 WHBC. (Photo by Lakeesha Wise, used with permission)Lakeesha Wise
Eighty-two of his 106 tackles were solo, along with two interceptions and six forced fumbles, four of which were recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
While leading the Bulldogs to an 8-5 season and a playoff appearance, Fannin swept the local accolades.
He Stark County Player of the Year, and Player of the Year in the Federal League and Northeast Inland District. The cherry on top was a Division I All-Ohio First-Team Defense selection as a defensive back.
The hard work had paid off.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 24 Bowling Green at Mississippi State
Fannin running after a catch against Mississippi State in 2022.Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Taking flight as a Falcon
Recruitment wasn’t heavy for Fannin, but Bowling Green was there.
Then-head coach Scot Loeffler saw Fannin, and visualized him as their guy, making him integral part of their offense at the tight end position.
“All I’m hearing is ‘offense, offense.’ You know I’m an offense type of guy. I was ready to go as soon as they said that,” Fannin said.
And when Loeffler explained how he viewed Fannin in his Falcons offense, Hall was on board.
“(Loeffler) had that forward thought as to is the quintessential tight end ‘A-position.’ That’s what it’s called, the tight end A-position for his offense,” Hall said. “And like I said, it was a perfect marriage.”
Fannin was on board with the plan, and as a bonus, majored in construction to continue his intriguing interest in homes.
Fannin had a rapid progression on the field.
Freshman year ended with 19 catches for 218 yards, and Fannin was sixth on the team in receiving yards. His sophomore season of 2023 ended with 44 catches for 623 yards and six scores, and he led the team in both receiving yards and touchdowns.
However, Fannin would endure tragedy again during this time.
His older sister, Haria Wise, was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2021. Originally given three months to live unless she began immediate treatment, Wise fought until her passing on Oct. 23, 2023.
harold fannin jr.
Harold Fannin Jr. wore tape with black marker to honor his past loved ones. His sister, Haria, and his grandfather, Benjamin.Getty Images
Confused, angry, Fannin turned to understanding. Something his mother notes as a strength of his.
“If he doesn’t understand something, he will just ask,” Wise said.
“I think that most of us, if we did that, our lives could be a little bit easier. If Harold wants to know something or he doesn’t understand something, he just asks.”
On game days, Fannin has honored both his late grandfather Benjamin and Haria by writing the dates of their deaths in black marker, 7/26 and 10/23, on his wrist tapes.
A historic season
Fannin’s third season at BG was one for the ages.
His experience, work ethic, and intelligence cultivate a season that put the country on notice. Fannin also had a couple chances to show off against the big-name schools.
And did he produce.
Harold Fannin
Fannin avoids a tackle against Penn State last season, in a game where he had 137 yards (12.5 per reception) and one touchdown. AP
Week 2 against No. 8 Penn State: 11 receptions for 137 yards (12.5 per reception) and one touchdown.
Week 5 against No. 25 Texas A&M: 8 receptions for 145 yards (18.1 per reception) and one score.
Though he remained humble, Fannin knew what was at stake in those games.
“I never said I was NFL-ready, but I was definitely thinking, ‘Just got to prove it... got to show what’s all the hype about,’ ” Fannin said.
Fannin’s junior season at BG in 2024 was arguably the best single season by a tight end in the history of college football. He led the country in receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555), and caught 10 touchdown passes.
He ended the year with a bang, posting career highs in receptions (17) and receiving yards (213) in a 68 Ventures Bowl loss to Arkansas State.
Fannin led the Falcons to a 7-6 record, helping the program record consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2012-2015.
The kid from Canton who had little to no offers, dominating at a Mid-American Conference school, was suddenly set to get drafted into the NFL.
2025 NFL Draft - Rounds 2 & 3
Fannin heard his name called by the Browns in the third round of the 2025 draft in Green Bay.Getty Images
Draft day
Fannin was projected to go between the second and third rounds.
He didn’t know where he was going, but a cousin by the name of Benji Wise already knew.
“On the day of the draft, he had Browns hats already,” his mother said. “When he got drafted, (Benji) passed out all of these hats and it was like, ‘Who do you know? How did you know that?’ ”
In the third round of the draft, with the 67th overall pick, Fannin was selected by the Browns.
“It’s one thing to see it on TV, but to actually be here,” Fannin said. “People from my city see me and they be like, ‘Man, I can’t believe it’. It’s like another thing to actually show them I’m living proof.”
Putting on for the City
Life is different now. Fannin’s feat gives the family a step forward in life that seemed unattainable at first, such as going to a Browns game.
Canton is an hour drive from Huntington Bank Field, money for Browns tickets was something out of reach for Fannin’s family.
Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams in preseason game
Los Angeles Rams safety Nate Valcarcel hits Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as Fannin crossed the goal line for a touchdown reception in the first half during their preseason game at Huntington Bank Field. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
They finally saw a Browns game in person when the family attended Cleveland’s preseason finale win over the Los Angeles Rams. They even watched Fannin catch a touchdown pass.
Wise happily recalls going to their local park the next day and people speaking to her about her son’s highlight move that got him into the end zone, and even reenacting the play herself.
“I went down there yesterday and I kept like, everybody’s like, congratulations on Harold. And I’m like, ‘You mean when he did this?’ And I’m like, doing the move,” Wise said.
Hall, who stepped down as McKinley’s coach after last season, says Fannin’s story is one that Canton’s youth can use as motivation.
“To have little kids in Canton reading through the local newspaper and reading about their hometown hero having success for their hometown team, as a kid, what more do you need to motivate you?” Hall said.
Those same kids get to watch their hometown hero playing in the orange and brown, sporting his No. 44, and honoring his loved ones on his wrist tapes.
And as for that home Fannin has in mind from his days watching HGTV, he plans to bring that dream to life, too. Someday.
“I wouldn’t say soon,” Fannin said, “but yeah, it’s definitely in the back of my mind.”
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