Jaylen Davon Harrell (born May 1, 2002) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, winning three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles and a

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in 2023. Harrell was selected by the Titans in the

2024 NFL draft The 2024 NFL draft was the 89th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft was held at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit on April 25–27, 2024. The draft had an attendanc ...

Early life

Harrell attended Berkeley Preparatory School in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. Harrell was a MaxPreps All-American football player as a sophomore and a junior. As a freshman, in 2016, Harrell recorded 81 tackles, with 16 tackles for a loss. As a sophomore, he registered 72 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. As a junior he posted career highs, making 106 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks. In 2019, as a senior, he had 58 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Harrell was a four star recruit, and named to the PrepStar Magazine Top 150 Dream Team, as the #137 ranked player in the nation. On December 11, 2019, he committed to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

to play college football.

College career

Harrell enrolled at the

in 2020. As a true freshman, Harrell appeared in four games and had four tackles. As a sophomore, in 2021, he started 3 of 14 games at linebacker, recording 15 tackles. His first career start came on September 18, versus Northern Illinois. As a junior, in 2022, he started 12 of 13 games, finishing the season with 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Harrell’s first career sack came on a shared sack in the season opener versus Colorado State, on September 3. In 2023, Harrell returned to Michigan for his senior season, winning a national championship. He started all 15 games as an edge rusher, finishing with 31 tackles, 9 tackles for a loss, a team high 6.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Harrell was named All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Professional career

Harrell was selected in the seventh round, 252nd overall, by the

in the

. Harrell began the 2024 season on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

and third on the depth chart at

weakside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He made his NFL debut in the season opener against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. He appeared in all 17 games, making 13 tackles and one pressure.

Personal life

His father, James Harrell, played in the NFL.

References

External links

Tennessee Titans bioMichigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, Jaylen 2002 births Living people Players of American football from Tampa, Florida American football defensive ends American football linebackers Michigan Wolverines football players Tennessee Titans players