Following a couple trips to Ann Arbor in the last few weeks, Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep DE/OLB Jaylen Harrell announced his commitment to Michigan yesterday. Harrell is the program's first 2020 commit since July, though that's largely explained by the fact he's also the 23rd player in the class.

As you'll see on his film, Harrell plays inside linebacker, outside linebacker, defensive end, and even some running back and tight end for Berkeley Prep. Initially evaluated by most sites as a linebacker, he's outgrowing the position and projects as a pass-rusher. Whether he'll be a standup specialist in the Josh Uche mold or a full-blown DE depends on his physical development.

Harrell chose Michigan over a top group of Miami (YTM), Florida State, and Penn State.

GURU RATINGS

Rivals	ESPN	247	247 Comp
3*, 5.7, #33 OLB, #92 FL	4*, 83, #4 ILB, #27 FL, #172 Ovr	3*, 88, #20 WDE, #59 FL, #469 Ovr	4*, #12 WDE, #52 FL, #302 Ovr

Harrell was a four-star on all three sites when they initially ranked him as a linebacker during his sophomore or junior season. ESPN, in typical fire-and-forget fashion, has left him there and still lists him as an inside linebacker, a position nobody expects him to play at the next level.

Rivals had Harrell as the #21 player in Florida this time last year before dropping him all the way down to #92 over the summer and fall. 247 gave Harrell a 93 grade in his sophomore year, lowered that to a 92 that stuck until this spring—a grade that would have him among the top ten WDEs nationally—and then dropped him to three-star range, though not as low among Florida prospects as Rivals.

All three sites list Harrell at 235 pounds, though it appears he's 10-15 pounds bigger than that now. He's listed at 6'4" on Rivals and 247; ESPN chops off an inch.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and the rest.]

SCOUTING

Unfortunately, by far the most detailed scouting report on Harrell comes from his sophomore year, when 247's John Garcia Jr. evaluated him as an inside linebacker. The good news is he considered Harrell an elite prospect:

The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is impressive on the hoof and backs it up in between the lines as well. He plays like a true inside linebacker in that he is in command of his defense, is efficient in traffic, plays downhill and can finish with power. But Harrell flashes all over the field, too, even on special teams and in space. He had a one-handed interception early on Thursday night, forced a fumble and stopped a shifty returner in the open field on kickoff coverage as well. 

Still just a class of 2020 prospect, Harrell is mature beyond his years both physically and mentally. He plays with great leverage, executes within his responsibility and even sets up his teammates in the process. It will be interesting to see how his body continues to develop over the next couple years of high school football, but it won't soon slow down the amount of college programs who want in on an underclassman who already fits the traits of a complete linebacker. 

At that early stage, Harrell already held offers from the likes of Ohio State and Oklahoma. At one point or another, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia would also extend an offer. I don't believe those remained committable as he progressed into his senior year.

Despite Harrell attending some camps, there's nothing more on him from a scouting perspective until 247's Barton Simmons explained his rankings drop this spring:

Linebacker Jaylen Harrell out of Berkeley Prep in Tampa has been reset as a three-star with an 88 rating. He seems to be on the way to outgrowing linebacker and his motor and movement skills are not where we want them to be for the four-star threshold but there is upside there as a defensive lineman.

We do have a couple of quotes from his head coach. This one comes via Michael Langston of Rivals's FSU outlet as Harrell entered his senior season:

The veteran head coach said his 6-foot-4, 247-pound defender has a rare skill set.

"Jaylen is a tremendous leader for us," Ciao said. "Very humble young man. As a football player, he's been tremendous since he was in ninth grade, and has started since then. Most project him as a defensive end. He closes on the ball so quickly and has a great first step. And no matter where we put Jaylen, he's going to make plays."

And here's one from after the season, via 247's Steve Wiltfong:

“He’s just a 100 miles per hour, high-motor guy,” [Ciao] said. “We play him at middle linebacker. He’s probably defensive end, outside guy, one of those rush guys, really physical, tough, athletic.

“So he has a chance to be a great player.”

Harrell is going to be a project. The shift to defensive end—or standup rush end—should fit his athletic profile better than inside linebacker, where he may have stuck in the 1990s but not in today's spread-happy environment. After watching his highlights, I think he has good initial burst, excellent closing speed, and good feet; I'm not sure he possesses Uche's otherworldly combination of get-off and bend, but that doesn't mean he can't be a quality pass-rusher.

OFFERS

I've mentioned pretty much all the relevant offers above. You can add Duke and Georgia Tech, which is nice from an academic perspective, as well as Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Mississippi State, UNC, South Carolina, USF, and Washington State. The pursuit from Miami, FSU, and PSU appears to have been legitimate through his senior season—he was slated to take an official visit to Miami before changing course for Michigan last weekend.

HIGH SCHOOL

While Berkeley Prep doesn't produce a lot of D-I prospects, they've had a handful of big-time recruits come through in recent years, headlined by 2012 five-star WR Nelson Agholor (USC, Philadelphia Eagles) and 2018 five-star OL Nick Petit-Frere, who considered Michigan but signed with Ohio State.

STATS

Harrell's MaxPreps page is comprehensive, which is nice. As a senior, he recorded 58 tackles with 11 TFLs, three sacks, three forced fumbles, and a blocked punt. As a junior, when he spent more time at linebacker and played one more game, he had 106 tackles, 20 TFLs, five sacks, an interception, and four pass breakups. He was a four-year starter; his senior season tackle total is actually his lowest of the four.

FAKE 40 TIME

None listed.

VIDEO

Career highlights:

Junior/sophomore/freshman highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

So much depends on Harrell's physical development that it's tough to have a specific prediction for him. If he's an early developer—and there are some signs that could be the case—then he may already be close to his ideal weight at around 250 pounds, in which case he probably winds up in the Uche role as a pass-rush specialist. If he can pack on more weight over time and play with his hand in the ground, he may have more upside—his athleticism stands out more if he's a true defensive lineman than if he's a hybrid player.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan is at 23* commits for 2020, which is getting relatively close to the max size for the class. 247 only lists four uncommitted prospects as "top targets" remaining in the class: top-100 CO OT Andrew Gentry (who's really a 2022 prospect because he plans to take a Mormon mission), top-100 CA QB CJ Stroud, four-star CA CB Darion Green-Warren, and three-star VA OT James Pogorelc.

The Wolverines recently picked up crystal ball selections for Green-Warren from Greg Biggins and Steve Wiltfong; he's probably the most important prospect remaining on the board given M's need for another cornerback in the class.

*247 lists RB Gaige Garcia, who'll come in on a wrestling scholarship, as a commit. He'll only use a football scholarship if he ends up seeing the field. They also still list JD Johnson, who has a heart condition that has ended his football career; he'll be on medical scholarship and won't count against the 85 cap.