When Graham Harrell was a prolific senior quarterback at Ennis High School, his college choices came down to signing with the Texas Tech football team or Georgia and he set his sights on the Bulldogs.
Dana Holgorsen, then an assistant with the Red Raiders, called Harrell and told him to look at the statistics of the Texas Tech quarterbacks and the statistics of the Georgia quarterbacks.
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“Back then, they (the Bulldogs) were throwing it legitimately, like 14 times a game,” Harrell said on Friday, October 24. “And it’s crazy, that was the norm for most schools at the time – 14 to 20 times a game was probably the norm, and (Tech coach Mike) Leach was throwing it 45, 50 times a game.”
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Harrell put his faith in Texas Tech’s passing game, and it paid off. From 2005 to 2008, he totaled 15,793 yards and 134 touchdowns. During his senior season of 2008, he threw for 5,111 yards and 45 touchdowns, leading the Red Raiders to an 11-2 campaign and finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
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Harrell, now 40, was scheduled to be inducted into the Texas Tech football Ring of Honor during halftime of the Tech-Oklahoma State game Saturday, Oct. 25, at Jones AT&T Stadium. He is the 12th member of the exclusive club.
Harrell is now the associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Abilene Christian University, which has an open date.
January 1, 2008; Jacksonville, Florida; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell (6) speaks to fans after winning the Most Valuable Player award following the Red Raiders’ victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Red Raiders beat the Cavaliers 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine USA TODAY Sports
In December, Harrell is part of the Class of 2025 that will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In Harrell’s final two seasons, Michael Crabtree of the Red Raiders won back-to-back Biletnikoff Awards as college football’s top receiver. Crabtree preceded Harrell into the Tech Ring of Honor in 2021 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022. Harrell has said he wants to share the spotlight.
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“There were 120 guys on that football team,” he said. “Our hope, I think both of us, would be that not only are we honored, but I hope all these guys are remembered. The cool thing about doing it is it brings back a ton of memories. You can kind of relive some of those fun times. Hopefully for the fans and the team, it brings back some good memories.”
In addition to his time at Crabtree, Harrell played behind one of Texas Tech’s best offensive lines. In 2008, blocker Rylan Reed and guards Brandon Carter and Louis Vasquez all received some level of All-American recognition, and center Stephen Hamby and tackle Marlon Winn earned honorable mention in the Big 12.
“That’s one thing that, in Coach Leach’s era, is probably a little overlooked, is the quality of the offensive line,” Harrell said. “The group I played behind was obviously maybe the best of them.
“My group was definitely special. I think they had a different attitude about them. Carter is the one who is remembered for putting makeup on his face and acting like a crazy person half the time, but all five of them were pretty special. They played really hard. Besides the center, we had a group of giant people in front of us, and with those giant gaps, that obviously helped.
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“In the aerial attack, especially Coach Leach’s version, people kind of look at it as a finesse offense. I think the difference between the 2008 team and a lot of teams that came before them that didn’t win as many games was how physical we were, and that was in the running game, in pass protection, and it started with those five offensive linemen.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Graham Harrell back for Texas Tech Football Ring of Honor induction
