I’m not going to lie…this one stings a little bit. If I was going to rank the players on the team who I wanted to stay in Friartown who were potentially eligible to hit the transfer portal, it would have broken down as such:

1. Jamier Jones

2. Ryan Mela

3. Jaylen Harrell

4. Oswin

5. Stefan Vaaks

6. Rich Barron

7. Daquan Davis

8. Nil

9. Peteris Pinnis

Jaylen Harrell did more to highlight, promote, and even recruit for Providence College than most media teams do for their respective schools. He was always the first to shout out Friars, comment on social media, or take any chance to make sure you were aware that he was proud to be a Friar. The social media presence of Friar fans was admittedly part of the reason why Jaylen ended up signing up to be a Friar in the first place.

After appearing in just six games to start the season, Harrell suffered a knee injury that required surgery for a torn meniscus, ending his Freshman campaign before it really even got a chance to get started. Harrell committed to Kim English and the Friars soon after Jamier Jones announced that he was coming to Friartown.

Harrell was a four-star prospect and the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at CATS Academy (Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science Academy) in Braintree. Before transferring, he spent his first two years at St. Sebastian’s School in Needham. A knockdown shooter with a polished offensive game, he projects as the type of player who will draw interest from high-level programs. His final list before committing to Providence included Alabama, Xavier, Kansas, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech.

It feels like Jaylen is gone before most of Friartown got to fall in love with what he brings to the table. I guess there’s still an outside chance that he somehow makes his way back to Providence but that’s just me grasping at straws a hundred miles away. Dang, this one stink.

Best of Luck to Jaylen and his family wherever they end up next season, I will certainly be rooting for you and wishing you all the very best.