Tyler Harrell made his Alabama football debut Saturday. Here's what Nick Saban wants to see next
BIRMINGHAM ― The long-awaited debut of Tyler Harrell with Alabama football didn’t come with much fanfare.
He checked into the Mississippi State game late in the second half with the Crimson Tide holding a sizable lead. Harrell saw six snaps and caught one pass for 12 yards.
Harrell, the transfer receiver from Louisville, started the season dealing with a lower-body injury.
“It’s unfortunate the guy missed a lot of time because of an injury,” Nick Saban said Monday at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club. “He is making a lot of progress. He does offer something with his speed. That is always something that can benefit you on offense. Want him to continue to improve and hopefully we can create roles for him down the road here that is going to be effective for him and for us.”
Early in the season at home, Harrell was seen on the sideline in street clothes and in a walking boot. He started dressing in pads and warming up before the Vanderbilt game. He continued to warm up up before games but didn’t play until Alabama faced Mississippi State and won 30-6 this past Saturday.
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Saban said in late August that Harrell had been dealing with a sprained foot for a while in the preseason and wasn’t able to practice for a bit for Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC).
"He's kind of day-to-day with this foot that he has," Saban said on Sept. 14. "Hopefully, he will be back sometime soon."
His debut has been anticipated because of the speed Saban mentioned. Harrell averaged a whopping 29.1 yards per catch in 2021 with Louisville as he caught 18 passes for 523 yards and six touchdowns.
The speed was on full display when Harrell ran a 4.24 40-yard dash at Louisville’s pro day. That’s not far off the NFL Combine record, which is 4.22.
This year, Alabama hasn’t had a player scare defenses with speed like Jameson Williams did a year ago as he caught 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns.
If Harrell returns to the speed he had before the injury, he could help start to provide some elite speed at the receiver position for the offense down the stretch.
Alabama is in an open week and will next face No. 20 LSU (6-2, 4-1) on Saturday, Nov. 5 (6 p.m., ESPN) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What's next for Tyler Harrell after Alabama football debut? What Nick Saban wants to see
