Rivals.com Analyst Says Jaylen Harrell Was 'On The Edge Of 4-Star Status'
Tampa Berkeley Prep three-star outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell was a bit of an unknown when he pledged to the Michigan Wolverines’ football program on Dec. 11, before subsequently signing his letter of intent a week later.
Rivals.com southeast recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy covered Harrell the last few years, and revealed the Tampa product flew a bit under the radar because he wasn’t a regular on the camp circuit, thanks to a policy by his high school coach that forbade it (in order to avoid injuries for his players).
Cassidy, however, also revealed that Rivals.com had Harrell on the verge of four-star status, following a senior campaign that saw him rack up 58 tackles, 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage and three sacks at Berkeley Prep.
“I love the way he closes and the way he covers,” the expert exclaimed. “The biggest strengths are the things you can’t coach, and he has every tangible thing — when you measure and see him, he looks like a Division 1 football player.
“His size and length are the kind of things you can’t coach. He’ll have to get a little quicker when it comes to moving laterally side to side, but he is pretty explosive off the line and he has tools that will serve him well down the road.”
Rivals labeled Harrell as an outside linebacker after he primarily played the position this past season at Berkeley Prep, though he was also moved around at times to utilize his athleticism.
Michigan tabbed him as a defensive end when he signed his letter of intent in mid-December, however, which shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise when considering the Wolverines signed five other linebackers in their 2020 recruiting class.
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