Daniel Harris knew what he needed.
With his son, AJ, entering sixth grade and beginning to show signs of excelling as a football player, Harris wanted to give his son every opportunity he could to be special. He was in search of a trainer, one that would introduce AJ to weights and agility training, but not weights that were heavy and in turn stunt his development.
A retired member of the military, Daniel was told by a friend to bring AJ to Chason Perry, who started Impact Performance RX about five years ago in Columbus, Georgia. Perry's credentials included a bachelor's degree in exercise science from Shawnee State and a master's in athletic coaching with an emphasis in strength and conditioning from West Virginia, along with seven years of experience as a strength coach for the military and previously owning a large youth training center in Cincinnati. His experience made Harris, who resides just outside Georgia in Phenix City, Alabama, comfortable bringing AJ to workouts. Perry put AJ through speed and agility training and taught him combine drills, such as the 40-yard dash.
“I let AJ try a couple classes and I said, ‘OK, he knows what he’s talking about,’” the elder Harris said.
Perry’s professional background was well-explained to the Harris family when they first visited Impact Performance RX. His diehard Ohio State fandom was not.
When Daniel first met Perry, he noticed his office and his truck were covered in Ohio State apparel. Even in sixth grade, Perry — who grew up in Wheelersburg — gushed to AJ about what it means to be a Buckeyes fan and the traditions Ohio State displays.
“You talk about Ohio State to the bone, that is Chason,” Daniel said. “It’s amazing.”
Perry isn’t what you’d call a casual OSU fan. After finishing his undergraduate degree at Shawnee State, Perry was a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at West Virginia under Rich Rodriguez for one year. When Rodriguez bolted for Michigan in the offseason, Perry was offered a chance to join him. Wait, work for the team that he hated with a passion growing up?
“I had an opportunity to go to UM, and I was like, hell no, I’m not going to UM!” Perry said. “Swear to God, it’s like religion, man.”
Perry, who moved to what he calls the “right city, wrong state" of Columbus, Georgia in 2011, is never shy about displaying his fandom. After Ohio State defeated the Crimson Tide in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, Perry wore the same Ohio State sweatshirt for two weeks, crossing the Georgia/Alabama border into Crimson Tide territory to shop at Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and anywhere else just so he could display his Buckeye gear with pride to Crimson Tide fans.
"I didn’t even live in Alabama, I’d drive further to get there. I was making a lot of enemies."– Chason Perry
He even started his own personal campaign, albeit tongue in cheek, when Harris was in sixth grade to recruit the now 19th-best player in the 2023 class and the second-best cornerback according to 247Sports’ composite rankings to Ohio State.
Harris remembers it all too well.
“That I'd be a Buckeye,” the five-star cornerback Harris recalled with a smile to Eleven Warriors in July about what his trainer told him from the start of their relationship.
“We kind of say it half jokingly because you never know what’s going to happen over the next six years,” Perry said. “But all the momentum and everything that is still a possibility just boggles my mind.”
While his comments years ago about playing for the Buckeyes were mostly in jest, Perry knew AJ had an “it factor” about him when he first started workouts at Impact Performance RX. Drills that would take other kids AJ’s age weeks to learn, Harris picked up after a rep or two. The maturity AJ displayed as a middle schooler was likened to an upperclassman in high school.
“When you’re a coach and you have kids like that, they make your job so easy,” Perry said. “They’re few and far between.”
Physically, Harris was already boasting a vertical jump in the late 20s in middle school. Perry still shakes his head in bewilderment after recalling Daniel texting him to tell him AJ hit 40 inches on his vertical leap at The Opening in July.
“As far as high school-aged kids, he’s the best cornerback I’ve ever trained,” Perry said. “He’s one of the best all-around athletes, and I’ve done this for 20 years.”
When Harris worked with Perry, he didn’t always face competition in his same age range. Perry’s business boasts an impressive client list, and he wasn’t shy about putting AJ in route running and one-on-one drills against much older players. Perry recalls a time Harris was tasked with guarding Washington Football Team running back J.D. McKissic, along with challenging college players Justyn Ross (Clemson) and Drake Beck (Ole Miss).
“J.D. is probably one of the shiftiest guys you will find in the NFL, and AJ, for a 15-year old, can hold his own against him like many 15-year olds couldn’t.”
Ohio State is still firmly in the running for Harris’ services. Then again, so are plenty of other top college programs. Perry watched as Harris took numerous recruiting visits all over the country the last two months, such as Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and of course, Ohio State. He was surprised to receive an autographed photo from Ryan Day thanking him “for everything,” and received a FaceTime call from Day during Harris’ unofficial visit to Columbus in mid-June.
Coach @ryandaytime I appreciate it so much! Hopefully sending more Buckeyes to the you in the future! I love this!!! #GoBucks #OhioState pic.twitter.com/wnidfDCmyq
— CoachChase3 MS, CSCS, SWING Rx Founder (@CoachChase3) June 28, 2021
My guy is on his recruiting visit to Ohio State and I got a surprise FaceTime call from the man himself, Coach Ryan Day! So proud of you @Aj_harris04 and what an honor to get a few minutes with Coach! Thank you!! pic.twitter.com/LpJEEQWSMH
— CoachChase3 MS, CSCS, SWING Rx Founder (@CoachChase3) June 16, 2021
But while Perry wants more than anything for Harris to attend OSU, he won’t put any unwanted pressure on Harris.
“As a coach, I don’t want to be biased in the opinions that I give him, because I love him like a son,” Perry said. “When I call him and FaceTime after these visits, I don’t want to steer his opinion because I don’t want to have him make a decision that’s wrong for him. I want him to go to Ohio State. But if it worked out he truly didn’t want to go to Ohio State, I don’t want to be the reason he went and then have resentment later.”
Harris and his father are scheduled to attend OSU’s home opener against Oregon in September. Harris previously told Eleven Warriors at The Opening in early July that a commitment could come at the end of that month, but the elder Harris said a commitment in the fall is the more likely scenario.
