Career Timeline of Graham Harrell: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Graham Harrell made an impact.

Graham Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback, currently serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Abilene Christian. He achieved prominence as a college football player for Texas Tech from 2004-2008, setting numerous records as a prolific passer under head coach Mike Leach's 'Air Raid' offense. His success at Texas Tech led to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025. After a brief professional playing career, he transitioned to coaching, holding various offensive coordinator positions at different universities before landing at Abilene Christian.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2001: State Class 4A Title

In 2001, as a sophomore, Graham Harrell led the Ennis Lions to a state Class 4A title.

2004: Plays for Texas Tech

In 2004, Graham Harrell began his college football career with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

2004: Oil Bowl Offensive MVP

In 2004, Graham Harrell played in the Oil Bowl and was awarded the offensive MVP.

2004: Redshirted at Texas Tech

In 2004, Graham Harrell redshirted his first season at Texas Tech University.

2005: Backup Quarterback

In 2005, Graham Harrell served as the backup quarterback at Texas Tech, behind Cody Hodges.

2006: Starting Quarterback

In 2006, Graham Harrell started every game of the season as quarterback. Despite being benched in some games due to poor performance, he rebounded with strong performances, including throwing for 6 touchdowns against Iowa State Cyclones, and 519 yards against the Texas Longhorns.

2006: Insight Bowl Comeback

In 2006, at the Insight Bowl, Graham Harrell led a historic comeback victory against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, overcoming a 31-point deficit to win 44-41 in overtime. Harrell was named the offensive MVP.

2007: Continued Success

In 2007, Graham Harrell continued his success, aided by Michael Crabtree, Danny Amendola and Eric Morris. He threw for 5 touchdowns and 646 yards against Oklahoma State Cowboys and was named AT&T Player of the Week. He finished the season with a 71.8% completion percentage, 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns and was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy. The team finished the season ranked #22 after winning the Gator Bowl and Harrell being named MVP.

2008: End of College Career

In 2008, Graham Harrell concluded his college football career with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

2008: All-American and Heisman Finalist

In 2008, Graham Harrell was named a first-team All-American quarterback and a Heisman Trophy finalist. He also set school, conference, and national records for passing yards, attempts, completions, and touchdown passes.

January 2, 2009: Final Collegiate Game

On January 2, 2009, Graham Harrell played his final collegiate game, a loss to Ole Miss in the 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. He concluded his college career with an NCAA record of 134 passing touchdowns and equaled the record of 147 career touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving. He also had 5,111 passing yards in the season, becoming the first NCAA player to post multiple 5,000-yard passing seasons.

May 2009: Rookie Camp with Browns

In May 2009, Graham Harrell participated in rookie camp for the Cleveland Browns but was not signed.

July 20, 2009: Signed with Saskatchewan Roughriders

On July 20, 2009, Graham Harrell signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

2009: Career in CFL/NFL Begins

In 2009, Graham Harrell began his professional football career, playing in both the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL).

2009: Signed by Saskatchewan Roughriders

In 2009, Graham Harrell went undrafted in the NFL draft and was subsequently signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

April 22, 2010: Released by Roughriders

On April 22, 2010, Graham Harrell was released by the Saskatchewan Roughriders to pursue NFL options.

May 19, 2010: Signed with Green Bay Packers

On May 19, 2010, Graham Harrell signed with the Green Bay Packers.

2010: Signed by Green Bay Packers and Super Bowl XLV Win

In 2010, Graham Harrell joined the NFL, signing with the Green Bay Packers and was part of the Super Bowl XLV winning team, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers.

September 3, 2011: Released by Packers

On September 3, 2011, the Green Bay Packers released Graham Harrell.

September 4, 2011: Re-signed to Practice Squad

On September 4, 2011, Graham Harrell was re-signed to the Green Bay Packers' practice squad.

December 7, 2011: Re-signed to Active Roster

On December 7, 2011, Graham Harrell was signed again to the active roster of the Green Bay Packers.

September 30, 2012: First Game for Green Bay

On September 30, 2012, Graham Harrell played in his first game for the Green Bay Packers, but fumbled a handoff. During the 2012 season, he hosted a weekly sports talk show called the "Witt Ford Red Zone with Graham Harrell" on 104.1 FM WRLU.

August 24, 2013: Reported Release by Packers

On August 24, 2013, it was reported that Green Bay would release Graham Harrell, as Vince Young outplayed Harrell in the pre-season.

August 28, 2013: Signed by New York Jets

On August 28, 2013, Graham Harrell signed with the New York Jets.

September 2, 2013: Released by New York Jets

On September 2, 2013, Graham Harrell was released by the New York Jets after they signed Brady Quinn.

2013: End of CFL/NFL Playing Career

In 2013, Graham Harrell's career in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) came to an end.

April 2014: Joined Washington State coaching staff

In April 2014, Graham Harrell joined the coaching staff at Washington State as an offensive analyst, reuniting him with his college coach Mike Leach.

February 2015: Named outside receivers coach at Washington State

In February 2015, Graham Harrell was named Washington State's outside receivers coach, replacing Dennis Simmons.

December 2015: Named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Texas

In December 2015, Graham Harrell was named the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of North Texas (UNT).

2015: Inherited UNT offense

In 2015, Graham Harrell inherited an offense at UNT that ranked in the bottom 25 of the country in passing, total yards, and points.

2016: Offensive Coordinator at North Texas

In 2016, Graham Harrell became the offensive coordinator for the North Texas Mean Green.

2017: Improved UNT offense

By 2017, Graham Harrell improved the UNT offense such that it was ranked in the top 26 nationally in passing, total yards, and points.

December 7, 2018: UNC-Chapel Hill claim

On December 7, 2018, Inside Carolina initially reported that Graham Harrell had accepted the role of offensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina, but later retracted the claim.

2018: Leaves North Texas

In 2018, Graham Harrell concluded his time as the offensive coordinator for the North Texas Mean Green.

2018: UNT offense ranked in the top 26 nationally

In 2018, Graham Harrell's offenses at UNT continued to be ranked in the top 26 nationally in passing, total yards, and points.

January 29, 2019: Hired as offensive coordinator at USC

On January 29, 2019, Graham Harrell was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Southern California (USC).

2019: Offensive Coordinator at USC

In 2019, Graham Harrell became the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans.

2021: Leaves USC Trojans

In 2021, Graham Harrell's tenure as the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans came to an end.

January 10, 2022: Hired as offensive coordinator at West Virginia University

On January 10, 2022, Graham Harrell was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Virginia University.

December 20, 2022: Named offensive coordinator for Purdue Boilermakers

On December 20, 2022, Graham Harrell was named the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers.

2022: Offensive Coordinator at West Virginia

In 2022, Graham Harrell served as the offensive coordinator for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

2023: Offensive Coordinator at Purdue

In 2023, Graham Harrell became the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers.

2024: Fired from Purdue Boilermakers

In 2024, Graham Harrell was fired from his position as offensive coordinator after the team started the season with a 1-3 record, averaging only 12.7 points per game during their three losses.

January 28, 2025: Named associate head coach at Abilene Christian

On January 28, 2025, Graham Harrell was named the associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for the Abilene Christian Wildcats.