By David Fleet
Editor
Mathew Harrison’s road to the Big House and the University of Michigan Football roster as a preferred walk-on has been anything but smooth.
Harrison, a 2019 Brandon High School graduate and Blackhawk football standout has overcome injuries, a pandemic and the rigors of making a Big 10 football team.
“It’s tough, mentally and physically,” said Harrison, a 6-foot-3-inch, 207 pound, wide-receiver. “They gave me an opportunity to make the team and get in the best shape of my life. But, while I put on about 14-pounds over the last year, where I really grew was, ‘above the shoulders.’”
Harrison’s story to Michigan followed a stellar 2018 season as a senior captain and quarterback of the Blackhawks where he was one of the leading passers in the Flint Metro League with 1,343 yards passing and 12 touchdowns.

He was named to the 2nd Team All League Offense.
“It had been a dream of mine to play college football,” he said. “Several schools were looking at me at the time and I was going on visits.”
Academically, Harrison was accepted at the University of Michigan and attended the football Preferred Walk-on Day in Feb. 2, 2019.
“I came to Ann Arbor and fell in love with the UM campus,” said Harrison. “I really connected with the football coaches and the staff, it was the right fit for me.”
That summer Harrison attended the summer football workouts.
“Division-1 college football was a whole new level of intensity,” he said. “It’s more than just a few hours of workouts. There’s 30 days of up at 6 a.m., weights, films and team meetings. You just have to push through everything and I was just 17-years-old at the time, not to mention I was a walk on too.”
Harrison suffered a season ending injury and did not dress for the 2019 season. Then the pandemic hit in 2020 but Harrison stayed on course and this spring made the 110 player roster for an abbreviated season as a wide-receiver.
“I dressed for every home game last season,” he said. “Now, for the 2021 season I still have four more years of eligibility.”
The University of Michigan roster is deep with 13 players at the wide receiver position.
“You never know what can happen during the season,” he said. “The energy on the team this year is unreal. We practice as professionals and there are many new staff here at Michigan. I’m excited to get back to the Big House and all those fans.”
Harrison is a junior at the University of Michigan Ross Business School and working for a degree in finance or business information technology. Mat is the son of Joe and Lisa Harrison of Brandon Township.