When Jalen Harris arrived at Arizona in 2017, he was issued jersey number 52 by the team's equipment staff.

A few weeks later, before the team's opening game, the Arizona coaches noticed there was going to be a number conflict on the field goal unit and needed Harris to change numbers.

Just like that, Jalen Harris had No. 49 across his chest and back.

The same 49 his dad Sean wore as a member of the vaunted Desert Swarm defense in the early 1990s for the Wildcats.

Hey, no pressure, kid.

"When I told my dad my number was changed, he said 'OK, that's fine with me,'" a smiling Jalen said. "He was excited. And then he said, 'you better play well. Don't embarrass me.'"

A joke, no doubt, but a serious honor from a son to a dad.

Even though it may have been by mistake, Jalen, preparing for his fourth season with the Wildcats, is more than happy to represent his dad with the No. 49. And he's held up his end of the bargain; he certainly hasn't embarrassed his dad. The younger Harris has played in all 24 games over the past two seasons and has totaled 10.5 tackles-for-loss.

He's been a force from his defensive end position the past two seasons, and has more than held his own in No. 49. The reason? The work ethic his dad and mom, Cha-Ron, instilled in him at a young age.

"Growing up, it was a competitive family," Jalen said. "There was always something to try to be better at than somebody else in the family. It was always competitive. The days I didn't want to work, they made me work. I really thank them for that."

Jalen was just two years old when his dad retired from the NFL. He didn't truly realize how accomplished of a player Sean was until he was about seven and started noticing that fans were sending pictures and cards for his dad to autograph.

Jalen's parents wouldn't let him play tackle football right away, so it was the flag variety at first. In fourth grade, Jalen began his official tackle football career with his dad serving as one of his coaches.

However, as Jalen grew up, basketball was perhaps a bigger passion than football. A tall, athletic hooper, Jalen had no problem shining on the basketball court. But as a sophomore in high school, he really began to embrace the physical nature of football and play a way that he never had before: aggressive.

By his junior year, Jalen had his very first scholarship offer – Arizona. The offers kept coming in after, but Jalen decided to follow both of his parents and attend Arizona. Not only was Sean a standout football player, Cha-Ron was a women's basketball player for the Wildcats.

"My parents always told me to go to a place where you could see yourself living after college and be comfortable and with Tucson, that's how I felt," Jalen said. "Arizona was my first offer, and it felt like a family environment from my first visit. They supported me from the start, and I was excited to commit."

This season, Harris will shift positions to outside linebacker in Arizona's new defensive alignment. The Wildcats only got one week of spring practice in before it was canceled, but Harris is excited about the potential of the new-look Arizona defense next season.

"I'm really excited," Harris said. "I think we're really building something. We've already formed great relationships with the new defensive staff and they're always available to talk to and encouraging us to ask more questions. I really enjoyed that first week."