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Alabama

Nick Saban assesses where Tyler Harrell is at in his progression

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•11/14/22•

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Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Alabama was thought to be getting two of the most dynamic wide receivers in the transfer portal this offseason, bringing in Jermaine Burton and Tyler Harrell. The latter has not been able to contribute much 10 games in though, fighting through some injury. Harrell finally got onto the field just before the bye week and is now ready for a bigger role.

Head coach Nick Saban said offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien will “need” to find a way to get Harrell involved in the final two regular season games of the season. Saban cited the speed the wide receiver has, wanting to get back to having some vertical threats lined up.

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“He’s learning,” Saban said. “He’s healthy now. He’s getting lots of reps. Guy’s got really good speed which I think can help us on offense. And I think we need to try to find ways to use him in certain situations that can be helpful to giving us some explosive vertical plays down the field. Which, there has been a lack of recently. He’s making really good progress.”

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Speed is exactly why Saban brought Tyler Harrell in from Louisville, having to replace two speedsters in Jameson Williams and John Metchie. There has not been a wide receiver on the roster thus far that has been able to provide a vertical threat for the Crimson Tide. It’s been a major problem area.

Ja’Corey Brooks is Alabama’s leading receiver heading into Week 12 but is only at 534 yards. The last time there was not a 1,000-yard receiver in Tuscaloosa was 2017, when Calvin Ridley was just 33 yards off the mark.

Harrell will not be able to get anywhere near the 1,000-yard mark unless there are a couple of NCAA records broken over the next two weeks. However, he does have an opportunity to get himself into game action against Austin Peay and Auburn. Alabama is playing for pride at this point in the season and will be looking to execute properly to carry it over into 2023.