Freshmen Faces: Jaylen Harrell
Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep four-star weakside defensive end Jaylen Harrell was considered the No. 292 overall player nationally and No. 14 at his position when he signed with the Wolverines.
At 6-4, 235 pounds, he has the look of a pass rush specialist, but he put up big numbers while at Berkeley Prep. As a freshman, he recorded 81 tackles and 16 tackles for loss. The following season he had 72 stops, eight tackles for loss and two sacks. In 2017 he really blew up totaling 106 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and five sacks, and then as a senior, he accumulated 58 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks.
His father, James Harrell, played at Florida State and in the NFL from 1979-87. He played with the Detroit Lions from 1979-83. It's always good when an incoming recruit has NFL bloodlines, and Michigan seems to nab kids like that quite a bit.
Recruitment
Most expected Harrell to follow in his father's footsteps and suit up for the Seminoles, but he spurned FSU for the Wolverines. Before committing to U-M, Harrell claimed offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State among many others. His offer list is obviously loaded, so winning out and landing him seems to be a coup for the Wolverines, at least on paper.
Player Breakdown/Player Comparison
Harrell is billed as a hybrid rush end/outside linebacker and at 6-4, 235 pounds and with exceptional athleticism, you can see why. He's got good length and is quite explosive off the edge. He might need to work on his lateral quickness and side to side movements when rushing the passer, but he's got the athleticism and tools to improve there.
He was obviously very productive in high school but, like every player on the either line, he'll have to get stronger in order to contribute at a place like Michigan. He's got the know how, work ethic and bloodlines to be very good and could even end up following his dad's path to the NFL. Various analysts have predicted that Harrell could end up being that good when it's all said and done.
I've been trying to compare the incoming freshmen to non-Michigan NFL players, but the similarities between Harrell and Josh Uche are too uncanny to ignore.
Uche was a tad smaller coming out of high school at 6-3, 217 pounds, but he finished his Michigan career at 250. I can see Harrell topping out in the same weight range and looking very similar to Uche in terms of how the weight is distributed and how their frames look.
The two also happen to both be from Florida and could end up playing the exact same role at U-M, making the comparison even more spot on. It'll be really interesting to see how the coaches decide to use Harrell and how they try to shape his body. If they keep him lean, he'll be an Uche clone. If they attempt to bulk him up, he'll be a more true weakside defensive end who could still put up some Uche-like numbers because of his burst and athleticism.
2020 Outlook
I don't think Harrell is physically ready to play as a true freshman, but since there isn't a no brainer pick to replace Uche in 2020, maybe he'll get a look. I'd still put my money on Harrell redshirting this season with a real chance to step into some serious playing time next fall.
