Najee Harris didn’t waste time establishing his brand at Alabama.

Enrolling early as the nation’s No. 1 running back in the 2017 class, the Californian cut a few highlights in his first A-Day spring game. The hurdles caught the most attention, especially considering Harris is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds.

The leaping continued in real games with victims including Vanderbilt, Mercer and Tennessee among others. It became a calling card coming off the bench in his first two Crimson Tide seasons.

Making his first appearance in the media interview room Wednesday, Harris was asked about the thought process that goes into the on-field hurdle.

“There is no thought process,” Harris said. “It’s instinct. I’ve got to cut it out.”

Oh yeah?

No more hurdles for Harris?

Nick Saban hasn’t always been a fan of taking the aerial route in the past.

"It's not something that I particularly admire, personally,” he said two years ago.

Harris is starting to recognize that too. He said Wednesday the hurdle is “not the best way to get out sometimes” since some landings involve more of the head and neck than his two feet.

Former teammate Quinnen Williams recognized the difficulty Harris’ high jumps created for would-be tacklers.

“Najee’s a freak,” Williams said last fall. “You might not know what he’s going to do. He’s a freak. I really don’t get nervous for him because he’s got the confidence in himself to do it. When anybody’s got the confidence to do that type of stuff, to throw their body out for the team like that, it’s really not being nervous for him.”

There’s a big future to consider for Harris, a projected first-round pick in next spring’s NFL draft if his junior season meets expectations. He’s the top option in Alabama’a backfield after Damien Harris graduated and Josh Jacobs left early as a first-round draft pick.

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.