Jerrell Harris (born July 8, 1989) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who attended the

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

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

High school career

Harris attended Gadsden City High School in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, 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 football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2012 NF ...

. 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 is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

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

Nigel Bradham Nigel Bradham (born September 4, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Florida State University. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and played for the Philadelph ...

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, ak ...

. 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and Clemson, among others.

College career

He played college football at

. 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 and was later signed out of free agency by the Atlanta Falcons.

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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

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

New England Patriots

He was signed to the New England Patriots 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 linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Hightower was sel ...

. However, Harris was released from the New England Patriots practice squad a week later.

Oakland Raiders

He was signed by the Oakland Raiders to their practice squad on November 28, 2012. He was released by the Oakland Raiders on May 16, 2013.

San Diego Chargers

On August 5, 2013, Harris was signed by the San Diego Chargers.

Montreal Alouettes

Harris signed with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...

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 franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

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 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

on January 20, 2016.

References

External links

*
Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Jerrell 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Gadsden, Alabama Players of American football from 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