Jerrell Harris (born July 8, 1989) is an American former 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 ...

who attended the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. Harris was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in high school and was considered one of the better outside linebacker prospects of his class.

Early life

Harris attended Gadsden City High School in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, where he was a teammate of fellow Crimson Tide players Kendall Kelly and

Dre Kirkpatrick D'Andre Lawan "Dre" Kirkpatrick (born October 26, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the Alabama Crimso ...

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

Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ...

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

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and Clemson, among others.

College career

He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

. As a member of the Crimson Tide, Harris was a member of two national championship teams.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Harris went undrafted in the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

and was later signed out of free agency by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

Jacksonville Jaguars

He was signed to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

practice squad on September 26, 2012, and released on October 24.

New England Patriots

He was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

practice squad on November 6, 2012, a promotion to the active roster would have reunited him with former

teammate, linebacker

Dont'a Hightower Qualin Dont'a Hightower (born March 12, 1990) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the inside linebackers coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played ...

. However, Harris was released from the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

a week later.

Oakland Raiders

He was signed by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

to their practice squad on November 28, 2012. He was released by the

on May 16, 2013.

San Diego Chargers

On August 5, 2013, Harris was signed by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

Montreal Alouettes

Harris signed with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

on October 8, 2013.

Denver Broncos

Harris, along with seven other players, were signed to future contracts with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

on January 22, 2014. The Broncos released him on August 24, 2014.

Detroit Lions

Harris, along with five other players, were signed to the practice squad with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

on September 17, 2014. He was released on November 11, 2014. He was re-signed on November 25, 2014. On August 4, 2015, Harris was released by the Lions.

Dallas Cowboys

Harris signed a reserve/futures contract with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

on January 20, 2016.

References

External links

*
Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Jerrell 1989 births Living people Players of American football from Gadsden, Alabama American football linebackers Alabama Crimson Tide football players Under Armour All-American football players Atlanta Falcons players Jacksonville Jaguars players New England Patriots players Oakland Raiders players San Diego Chargers players Montreal Alouettes players Denver Broncos players Detroit Lions players Dallas Cowboys players