Report: Louisville's Scott Satterfield suggests Alabama tampered with WR Tyler Harrell

Louisville football coach Scott Satterfield thinks there was some funny business that brought former U of L wide receiver Tyler Harrell to Alabama.

The coach stopped short of outright accusing the Crimson Tide of tampering to bring the star receiver to Tuscaloosa via the transfer portal.

“I think it’s not only him, it’s happened before here,” Satterfield said to 247Sports on Thursday. “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.”

Harrell, who caught 18 balls for 523 yards and a Louisville-leading six touchdowns, entered the transfer portal in April. Ten days later, he announced he was transferring to Alabama.

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Are college football teams tampering?

Satterfield spoke to 247 in a story about whether college football teams are tampering with players on other teams before those players officially enter the transfer portal.

The recruiting website cited a few examples: including Texas fighting to keep receiver Xavier Worthy, who reportedly was offered a six-figure name, image and likeness deal to leave the Longhorns. And Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi reportedly called USC coach Lincoln Riley accusing him of tampering with Jordan Addison, who entered the transfer portal this week, according to ESPN.

But proving tampering is tricky and the NCAA has struggled to enforce it.

What rules does NCAA have regarding tampering and the transfer portal?

In the new transfer portal and NIL age, the number of athletes entering the portal has skyrocketed. The NCAA does have rules about tampering, but they only address coaches and athletic departments directly or indirectly contacting players already on other teams. 

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Among the requirements a player must adhere to when transferring, they must "certify in writing, along with their new head coach, they did not have direct or indirect communication with the new school's athletics staff prior to entering the NCAA Transfer Portal."

Players on different teams can talk to each other about transferring, and third parties, like businesses aligned with a school that can offer NIL deals, can also contact players without breaking any rules.

“It’s something we have to get a grip on in order to have any kind of sanity in college football,” Satterfield told 247.

Tyler Harrell's career at Louisville football

Harrell had a breakout season as a redshirt sophomore in 2021 for the Cardinals, appearing in all 12 games for the first time. His 523 yards and 29.1 yards per catch were third and first on the team, respectively. And his six TDs were tops for the Cardinals, who finished 6-7 (4-4 ACC) last season.

The former four-star recruit out of Christopher Columbus High School (Miami) appeared in two games as a freshman in 2018, then missed the 2019 and '20 seasons.

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The 6-foot, 197-pound Harrell entered the transfer portal April 12 and joined Alabama on the 22nd.

Harrell is a field-stretching receiver who recorded a 4.24 40-yard dash time at Louisville's pro day a year ago. He could prove a deep-threat weapon, replacing Jameson Williams, who declared for the NFL draft, for Crimson Tide quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young.

Follow assistant sports editor Jake Adams on Twitter @jakeadams520