Monte Harrison isn't the first former Marlin to leave baseball for college football

Former Miami Marlins outfielder Monte Harrison has appeared in just 50 career games at the Major League Baseball level, but the Missouri native was the subject of headlines on Tuesday for a different sport: college football.

Harrison will take his talents to Fayetteville, Ark. and walk on as a wide receiver for the University of Arkansas.

A top-400 national prospect out of high school, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Harrison was committed to play for Nebraska. He was selected in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and received a $1.8M signing bonus in order to pursue a professional baseball career instead. Harrison was acquired by the Marlins in a 2018 trade that sent eventual National League MVP Christian Yelich to Milwaukee.

A stellar athlete, Harrison made his big-league debut for the Miami Marlins in 2020. Used primarily as a pinch-runner, Harrison hit just .175 with one home run, three RBIs, and six stolen bases over 41 total games with Miami during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Following his 2022 release, Harrison signed with the Los Angeles Angels. He had just two hits in 11 at-bats with the Angels in 2022—his final action in the majors.

What becomes of Harrison's football career remains to be seen, but when it comes to former Marlins spurning baseball for college football, the speedy outfielder is not alone.

Drafted fifth overall out of Shreveport, La. by the Florida Marlins in the 1994 MLB Draft, third baseman Josh Booty appeared in games in the big leagues in three different seasons for the club (1996, 1997 and 1998). Despite being limited to just 13 career games and 30 plate appearances, Booty held his own at the plate. The Louisiana native batted a respectable .269, which included going 3-for-5 during the Marlins' first championship season of 1997.

While Booty may have been a long-term asset for the Marlins, one might conclude that he made a bigger name for himself on the gridiron in the SEC. Booty enrolled at LSU prior to the 1999 season.

As a 24-year-old freshman, Booty saw plenty of the field. He attempted 333 passes as a freshman, but completed fewer than half of his throws and finished with nearly three times as many interceptions as touchdown passes. As a team, the Tigers finished just 3-8, which led to the departure of head coach Gerry DiNardo.

Interesting enough, Booty would have the distinction of being legendary head coach Nick Saban's first starting quarterback in the SEC. During the 2000 season, Booty started nine games, leading the Tigers to a 6-3 record in those starts. As a team, LSU finished 8-4 and ranked in the final AP Poll for the first time in three years, following a 28-14 win over Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl.

Booty wouldn't stick around for LSU's run to the SEC title in 2001, but with 17 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions, did enough to be selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Booty would never take a snap in an NFL regular season game. 

Despite going 15 years without taking the field, Booty wasn't released by the Marlins until 2013. At 37 years old, he would get a shot with the Arizona Diamondbacks shortly after. He was released during the spring about a month into his tenure with Arizona.

Booty isn't likely to have his jersey retired in Baton Rouge, but it is worth noting that when he arrived, LSU was coming off consecutive losing seasons. As starting quarterback, he helped begin a streak of 20 consecutive winning campaigns for the Tigers.

Arkansas finished just 4-8 on the gridiron in 2023. Perhaps Harrison can play a small role in changing the Razorbacks' fortunes.