The Alabama Crimson Tide got a big boost this week with the news that star RB Damien Harris was returning to Tuscaloosa for his senior season.

Harris would have been an interesting NFL prospect, but now he’ll return as one of the SEC’s best running backs in 2018.

On Friday, he joined “The Paul Finebaum Show” to explain what went into his decision to head back to school next year instead of testing the NFL waters (via 247Sports):

“There were a lot of things that went into this decision,” Harris said. “You could point out Xs and Os, pros and cons for both, but at the end of the day, it just kind of resulted in me wanting to come back to this team for another year. I love this university, and there’s been a lot of great things and a lot of great memories that I’ve had over these three years.

“… I just wasn’t ready to leave yet, and I wanted to come back to this team and continue to try to do something even more special than what we’ve already accomplished. I just wanted to come back. There’s a lot of people that I have a lot of love for. I love this coaching staff, I just really love being a part of this team. … I just really wanted to be a part of this team for one more year.”

Harris now has two national championship rings from his time in Tuscaloosa and will have a great chance to get a third in 2018, so it makes sense from that angle.

Plus, with all the other talented backs in the Alabama backfield, Harris doesn’t have the wear and tear other college backs pick up over the years. It will be interesting to see what happens with him next year.