As soon as Louisville wide receiver Tyler Harrell put his name into the transfer portal, there were reports connecting the speedy wideout to Alabama as his transfer destination.
A few days later, Harrell was on Alabama’s campus for a visit and it didn’t take much longer for him to announce his commitment to the Crimson Tide. The whole process — Harrell appearing in the portal on April 12 and committing to Alabama on April 22 — took 10 days, leading to questions about tampering.
Harrell caught 18 passes for 532 yards and six touchdowns last season, so he’s a notable addition for Alabama and a big loss for Louisville. Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield told 247Sports that he believes tampering took place with Harrell’s recruitment, though he has no way to definitively prove it.
“I think it’s not only him, it’s happened before here,” Satterfield told 247Sports. “Last year we had a few guys that jumped into the portal and the next day they’re announcing where they’re going. You can look at that and know that something went on before they were in the portal.”
Asked about that claim on Wednesday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said his program doesn’t “tamper with anybody.”
“We don’t tamper with anybody. I don’t know of anything or anybody that tampered with him,” Saban said per Al.com.
Louisville wide receiver Tyler Harrell (8) runs downfield during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Tampering more prevalent than ever in college football
In the current environment of college football that includes the one-time transfer rule and NIL payments, tampering has been a contentious offseason topic (just ask Pitt fans about the Jordan Addison situation).
Though teams are not permitted to speak with prospective transfers until their name is in the portal, you’ll often see a player enter the portal and announce a commitment to a new school in a matter…