Speed and quickness. Sure, TJ Harland has those skills in spades like any prototypical tailback.

But what really excites the Yorkville senior?

It’s blocking.

“I love the physicality,” Harland said. “I’d rather go down in the box and hit somebody than stand there in the pocket. I like the contact.”

That enthusiasm to take on contact and sacrifice for the greater good doesn’t surprise Yorkville coach Dan McGuire.

Harland didn’t blink when he was moved from quarterback, where he played at Mount Carmel as a freshman, to running back. He blocked for Luke Zook last season when Yorkville’s fullbacks went down with injuries.

And now Harland is clearly the lead back, and a versatile one at that, as the Foxes look to return to the playoffs after a 4-5 2024 season.

“He doesn’t back down from anybody,” McGuire said. “That’s something he doesn’t get enough credit for is how physical and selfless he is. It’s very rare that a tailback will say, ‘Yeah, I’ll block for somebody.’ They don’t want anything to do with that.

“TJ is the exact opposite. He’ll do whatever he can to win a football game.”

Harland as a junior ran for 350 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries, matching Zook for the team lead in rushing yards.

Yorkville, with an inexperienced offensive line, struggled to establish its running game.

But McGuire felt like the Foxes’ last game in particular they ran the ball well, and is optimistic that can carry over to this season.

“That is one of the big things I learned from [former Yorkville coach] Karl [Hoinkes] is how important it is to run the football,” McGuire said. “You can control the clock, it makes any game a close game whether you are outmatched or not.

“It helps your offensive line get into a rhythm, and it is something that is a mentality. We want our kids to be physical.”

McGuire need not worry about Harland, 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, bringing that physical mentality.

His game as a runner is hitting the hole fast, getting to the outside and getting past the second level.

Ask Harland about his running back style, though, and he’ll be sure to bring up his blocking.

“If you put me out on the edge, you have a high chance of scoring the ball,” Harland said. “I like getting up the field and finding somebody I can see and put my hands on them.”

Harland attended Yorkville Middle School growing up, then went to Mount Carmel as a freshman.

But the hour-long commute each way was a hassle. Harland and his dad talked to McGuire and made the decision to come back to his home district for his sophomore year.

Going from a private school to public was nothing Harland couldn’t handle. The position change, too, proved seamless.

“Freshman year at Mount Carmel, I was a mobile quarterback,” Harland said. “Me playing quarterback helped me out with running back with the vision, seeing where different holes were. Playing quarterback actually helped me with the running back position.”

One of the strongest kids on the Yorkville team, it’s underrated how physical Harland is in McGuire’s estimation. That physicality and unselfishness was big for the Foxes down the stretch last season.

So, too, is Harland’s ability to catch the football out of the backfield.

“His hands are tremendous,” McGuire said. “Last year toward the end of the year we struggled up front, but we tried to do some things to get him the ball on the perimeter, and he made some big catches. He neutralized some defensive lines we faced with his ability to get out on the perimeter.”

McGuire said he could put Harland at multiple positions on the field.

“He could jump in and play receiver at any time, and I think he could play defense if we wanted him to,” McGuire said.

“He’s extremely versatile, and the great thing about him is if we ask him to do something, he’ll just do it and he won’t say anything about it.”

Whatever it takes to a kid who just wants to win. Harland and the Foxes open their season Aug. 29 against St. Patrick.

“He just wants to play and wants to win. That’s the biggest thing to him, is his willingness to do whatever he can to be successful,” McGuire said. “He is not a prima donna by any stretch. He is 100% do whatever he can to help win a football game.”