It all started with a screensaver and a letter in high school.
Current Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman and Millard West graduate Harrison Phillips knew what he wanted to do at a young age.
“[My screensaver] is the NFL logo,” Phillips told Hurrdat Sports. “Has been for forever, and I’m just a believer in manifestation. Funny enough, I stopped by Millard West the other day to talk to some of the ACP kids, some of my Playmakers, and as I was walking, I looked over and there was my freshman year English teacher, Mrs. [Lisa] Lukecart. She waved me in and that class was going on.”
One of the projects Lukecart gives her class is to write a letter to their future selves, which she’d give to the students during their senior year. Lukecart held onto Harrison’s, in which he said he essentially called everything he would go on to accomplish as a Wildcat.
“I said in there, my sophomore year, I’m going to weigh this amount, wrestle at this place. My junior year, I’m going to do this in football, this in wrestling. Senior year, this, this, this. It was almost to a tee, like even to how much I’m going to weigh each season. I’d win three state championships, I’d be all-state, I’d win Gatorade player of the year, I’d have a Division I scholarship. I wrote all that out as a 14-year-old kid at Millard west.
“I’ve still tried to do that, and I believe in manifesting, so I put the NFL logo on there when I first got a phone. I kept it the same as I kind of like want to stay in the NFL as long as I can, or until my body breaks down.”
After graduating high school, Phillips attended Stanford University before the Buffalo Bills drafted him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Phillips played for the bills for four seasons, appearing in 45 games with 11 starts and recording 107 tackles. He signed with the Vikings as a free agent in 2022 and has started all 17 games in each of the past three seasons, recording 207 tackles and 6.5 sacks in the process. The Vikings named him a team captain last season, the first such honor of his career.
Harrison will also be taking on another important new role this year: fatherhood. The couple’s first child, Roman John Phillips, was born on May 9. He said that he has been very impressed with how his wife handled the pregnancy.
“We’re excited, I’ve been really proud of how Shae’s handled it,” Phillips said prior to the baby’s birth. “I’ve never really seen the intricacies of pregnancy, and it is a real deal. I definitely tip my hat to all mothers.”
Giving back to the community is something that he has done throughout his entire career. Whether it’s Omaha, Buffalo, or Minnesota, Phillips is always supporting his communities through his foundation, Harrison’s Playmakers. His love for where he came from has inspired him to be a role model for people in Omaha. He said that he wants to do whatever he can to make a difference in Nebraska.
“I’m really fortunate for the community that raised me,” Phillips said. “It definitely takes a village to help you accomplish what you want to accomplish, and there were a lot of people that poured into me along the way.”
After conversations with college and NFL teammates about how professional players would come back to speak at their schools and the impact that had on the kids, Phillips felt like there was a void he could fill in Omaha.
“When I got recruited and went out to Stanford, I thought it was really important to make sure I came back every summer and try to tap in with some of the local high school players,” Phillips said. “As my career’s continued to grow, I’ve just kind of felt that calling and appreciation. I love this area. I love the people that are here in Omaha, the Midwest values. I don’t see why there’s any problem of trying to support and lift up this community.
“I feel like sometimes we’re a flyover state and forgotten about little community. I love Nebraska and I’m super excited and happy to represent it and try to help in any way I can.”
As for life after football, he said that he is unsure exactly what he’ll do, but that he has a lot of options and is looking forward to whatever comes next.
“I have some business ventures going on here,” Phillips said. “I’m involved with the owner who works with the Supernovas, the volleyball team. I obviously have my gym here, involved in some real estate across the country as well as here in Omaha.
“It will be interesting to see what passion of mine will come after football.”
