USF linebackers Jhalyn Shuler (7) and Mac Harris (24) have played together for four years. Now they’re both vying to hear their names selected in the NFL Draft next month. ORACLE PHOTO / COLE ABRUZZESE
Jhalyn Shuler and Mac Harris sat on top of a hill Tuesday night, reflecting on their football careers.
The linebackers were two of the longest tenured players on USF’s football team. Harris became a Bull in 2020, with Shuler coming two years later in 2022.
They’ve endured one-win seasons, coaching changes and a revolving door of transfers. But in less than 24 hours, they would be fighting for their football lives.
Shuler and Harris were two of the 14 USF players who showcased their skills and athletic prowess in front of NFL scouts during USF’s annual Pro Day on Wednesday.
The two defenders performed various strength and athletic drills, such as the three cone shuttle, bench press and broad jump. Twenty-two NFL scouts watched in earnest, scribbling times and distances onto clipboards and exchanging notes with fellow scouts.
“I was super nervous,” Shuler said after his pro day. “It’s a job interview. So yeah, I had some nerves.”
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Shuler and Harris were the heartbeat of USF’s defense last season. They combined for over 200 tackles, 8.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Both defenders have some of the gaudiest accolades of USF’s potential draft class.
Harris was named to First Team AmericanAll-Conference after last season, while Shuler nabbed a spot on the Second Team AmericanAll-Conference.
But Harris said he didn’t share Shuler’s sense of nervousness.
“I’ve been dreaming of this exact moment, this exact interview, being at Pro Day and talking with the scouts,” Harris said. “For the most part, it’s been a dream come true.”
USF linebacker Mac Harris performs a broad jump drill in front of NFL scouts during USF’s Pro Day on Wednesday. ORACLE PHOTO / COLE ABRUZZESE
Shuler and Harris weren’t just on top of that hill on a whim. They’ve been close friends since they first met in 2021.
“Over the years, playing together, struggling together, going through 1-11 seasons, going through 6-6 seasons, going through 9-3 seasons, through all the ups and the downs, he’s been consistent,” Shuler said.
Shuler was on an official visit to USF in 2021, looking to transfer to a bigger program after two seasons of community college football in Kansas.
Harris, who’s been at USF since 2020, was wrapping up his second season in a Bulls uniform.
Shuler, being raised in a rural town in South Carolina, didn’t know anybody in the Tampa area.
So, Harris hosted him during his visit. That quick stay turned into a longer arrangement, as the two linebackers have now lived together for several years.
“We go work out, come home, and we’re beat up from the workouts, and we just sit on the couch together and we reflect on our day or something we’re mad about,” Harris said.
Both admitted the contrast in their personalities. Harris said he’s more of an extroverted and vocal leader, while Shuler said he’s not the most “social butterfly.”
That difference only strengthened their bond.
“He kind of worked his way into my life to the point where, like, he’s genuinely my brother,” Shuler said.
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USF hasn’t had a player drafted into the NFL since 2018, when defensive tackle Deadrin Senat and wide receiver Marques Valdez-Scantling were selected in the third and fifth rounds, respectively.
Harris said he’s just thankful for the chance to have his name called next month.
“I’m just starting off with this, man,” Harris said. “Comparison is the thief of all joy.”
Shuler said “he’d love” to be the one to break the longest NFL Draft drought in program history.
The only thing he’d want more is for his teammates to experience that moment.
“As much as I would love for myself to be that person, I want everybody who I’ve been training with, everybody who came through here, with everybody who I also know cares about that as much as me, for them to accomplish that for themselves as well,” Shuler said.
There are 32 NFL teams and 257 different selections in the NFL Draft. The chances of Shuler and Harris being drafted to the same team are low.
But whatever distance is between the two men, they expect their friendship to remain steadfast.
“I want nothing but great for him,” Harris said. “If there’s not one person I want to do better than me, it’s him.”
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held from April 23-26 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.