Jerrell Harris is an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

. He currently attends the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 in his senior year. Harris was an All-American in high school and is considered one of the better outside linebacker prospects of his class.

High school career

Harris attended Gadsden City High School

Gadsden City High School

Gadsden City High School is a public high school, located in Gadsden, Alabama, United States serving approximately 1500 students in grades nine through twelve. The school is the only high school in the Gadsden City School System...

 in Alabama, where he was a teammate of fellow Crimson Tide players Kendall Kelly and Dre Kirkpatrick

Dre Kirkpatrick

D'Andre "Dre" Lawan Kirkpatrick is an American football player. He is a junior cornerback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kirkpatrick was rated as one of the top high school defensive backs in the country...

. As a senior he registered 145 tackles (97 solo), 16 tackles for loss, three pass break-ups, 20 quarterback pressures, four caused fumbles, three recovered fumbles. Harris also returned one fumble for a touchdown and scored on an interception return. He amassed 130 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks as a junior.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com

Rivals.com

Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...

, Harris was listed as the No. 3 outside linebacker prospect in the country, behind only Nigel Bradham

Nigel Bradham

Nigel Bradham is an American football linebacker. He currently attends Florida State University in his senior year. Bradham was considered one of the best linebackers coming out of high school in 2008, and has been compared to Derrick Brooks by CSTV’s Tom Lemming.-High school career:At Wakulla...

 and Arthur Brown

Arthur Brown (American football)

Arthur Brown, Jr. is an American football player. He currently attends Kansas State University, where he transferred after playing for the University of Miami until the 2009 season.-High school career:...

. Harris was also considered to be the best run stopper among all linebackers. He chose Alabama over Auburn

Auburn University

Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

, Tennessee

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

 and Clemson

Clemson University

Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....

, among others.

College career

As a true freshman in 2008, Harris made frequent appearances on special teams. He played in 10 games for Alabama in 2008, including the last seven contests of the season, and totaled three tackles with two solo stops. In the offseason, he bulked up to 230 pounds from around 212 in 2008.

Sophomore season

For the 2009 season

2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...

, Harris was assigned to back up Cory Reamer

Cory Reamer

Cory Reamer Cory Reamer Cory Reamer (born May 6, 1987 in Hoover, Alabama is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He played college football at Alabama.-Early years:...

 at strongside linebacker in Alabama's 3-4 defense

3-4 defense

In American football, the 3–4 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers.The 3–4 defense declined in popularity over the years, but has found renewed use by modern professional and college football teams. The 3–4 defense is so named because it involves 3...

.

Harris was suspended before Alabama's game vs Virginia Tech

2009 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

The 2009 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Frank Beamer...

for rules violations.

External links

• Alabama Crimson Tide bio