Washington State has a new name to watch in Jaylen Harrell, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound transfer from Providence whose college résumé is tiny but whose upside has already caught attention.
Harrell arrived in Pullman this past April after entering the portal following a coaching change. He played in just six games as a true freshman last season, putting up 3.7 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game before a knee injury cut everything short. The injury turned out to be a torn meniscus, and surgery ended his year before it could really get going.
Even with that limited sample, Harrell came to college with plenty of recruiting cachet. Out of CATS Academy Boston, he was rated four stars by the 247Sports Composite, ranked the No. 26 small forward in the country and the No. 4 prospect in Massachusetts. He later slid to No. 118 nationally in his senior year of high school, but the offer sheet still told the story: Providence, Rutgers, Alabama, Virginia Tech, Xavier, UMass and others were in the mix before he signed with Providence and Kim English.
The scouting report from 247Sports paints the picture of a wing who can score in a bunch of different ways. He was described as “a long and broadly built scoring wing who plays primarily off his jumper, but is a threat in various ranges.”
The report also noted his size, wingspan and ability to get to his spots, while pointing out that he is “not a naturally quick or explosive athlete.” Still, the evaluation made clear that his shooting numbers don’t tell the whole story.
That matters because Washington State is bringing him in with a specific role in mind. Harrell is listed as a guard on the Cougars’ roster, but his frame suggests he could function as a true swingman. He went 3-of-11 from deep last year, so the outside shot remains something to watch, but the fit becomes much cleaner if he can hit at a respectable clip and use his size to punish smaller defenders.
Coach David Riley sees that versatility as a real weapon.
"He's a bigger guard," David Riley said. "He can play the two, three, and four.
He can really post up smaller guys, can shoot the hell out of it and I just love his mindset. He has a really tough, mature mindset and is going to come in with a lot of confidence.
"He's going to do really well in this system with his versatility. And he has some of those tools LeJuan (Watts) had, where he can play inside and out. And his post footwork is great when they put a smaller guy on him."
That Watts comparison is the one that jumps off the page. Riley has a habit of targeting players with traits similar to past standouts, and if Harrell develops into anything close to that mold, Washington State will have found a useful piece with real lineup flexibility.
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