Interview: Overlooked 2019 JUCO FS/SS Diamond Harrell is Standing Out with LA Valley College

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

Los Angeles Valley College is doing what all good football teams are supposed to be doing this time of year, hitting their stride towards a peak just in time for a conference title run and a bowl berth. The Monarchs have won three consecutive pushing their record to 5-2 on the season with a defense that has held four teams to 14 points or less. The heavy lifting on defense for the Monarchs is aided by the QB in the secondary, Class of 2019 free/strong safety Diamond Harrell.

Harrell is the do-everything kind of safety with size, speed, and a knack for playing and understanding the game. At 6-3, 200 pounds, he can knock the block off a tailback or receiver, has sideline to sideline speed, can drop down into the box as an extra linebacker against run-heavy teams, and can cover over the top and the slot.

With recruiting starting to pick up for the overlooked junior college talent, I sat down with the former Chaminade College Prep standout to see how his sophomore season is going on the field and how his overall game is developing this season.

Interview

Diamond, the Monarchs have been on a roll over the last three games showing out on both sides of the ball. What is working well for the offense over the past three?

“For the offense, what is working well is the tempo and consistency, mainly running the ball with “Tank” (Terrell Love) and the offensive line giving him good holes.”

What is working well for the defense?

“Our pursuit and getting to the ball as fast as we can. We are doing our jobs in practice so we can perfect each play come game time. We are coming along as a family.”

What role are you filling within the defensive scheme?

“My role is safety – I am the QB of the defense. Our defense is looking good. We are still trying to find where we are, but we are looking good. I think we can be even better than we are right now.”

How is the season going for you overall?

“Overall, there is a lot to improve upon, but for me, I am having a pretty good season. I know I can do better. I want to make more plays. I need to improve on a lot of things. I keep trying to improve each week.”

Where are you seeing the biggest improvements in your skillset this season?

“The biggest improvements are my technique. I worked on that all summer with our former DB coach, Coach (Chris) Aguado; he helped me all summer. That has made a big improvement in my overall game. My tackling has improved a lot this season. We tackled throughout fall camp and we tackle all season in practice; that has helped.”

The Monarchs just stormed past West LA 65-7, how did the game go for you personally?

“As a team, it was a good team win. For me, it went pretty well. I had a couple of tackles. I did not get to play that much. They pulled some of the starters to save us for Chaffey. There are always things I can improve upon.”

How is everything going in the classroom?

“Well. My current GPA is a 2.96. Hopefully, I can raise it to a 3.1 by the end of the semester. That is my goal.”

What is your desired major at a four-year college?

“I want to major in mechanical engineering.”

When is your graduation date from LA Valley?

“I graduate December 2018.”

Nice. Back to football. As mentioned, you guys get Chaffey college next, what kind of challenge will their offense give the Monarchs on defense?

“One of the challenges we will face, we have to remember to do our jobs. If we do our jobs we will be successful against Chaffey.”

If the Monarchs beat Chaffey, you’ll be atop the American-Metro Conference. What does the team need to do the rest of the season to win conference and go to a bowl game?

“As a team, we just need to do our jobs on both sides of the ball and reduce our penalties. We are one of the most penalized teams in the nation. If we do that, we can win out and go to a bowl game. The key is to do our jobs.”

Diamond, thanks for your time today and good luck on Saturday against Chaffey.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com; Diamond Harrell