DUE TO THE SETBACK OF THE TEAM,A KEY PLAYER FOR THE Michigan State Spartans Football, Derrick Harmon, ANNOUNCE STEP DOWN TO THE TEAM.
Derrick Harmon, a defensive tackle, has removed his name from the transfer database. Under the direction of new head coach Jonathan Smith, defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa, and the rest of the staff, he will return to the Spartans.
He joins defensive tackle Simeon Barrow Jr., linebacker Darius Snow, wide receiver Jaron Glover, and offensive linemen Ethan Boyd, Brandon Baldwin, Kris Phillips, and Geno VanDeMark as the sixth MSU athlete to withdraw from the program since the 2023 season began.
As soon as Harmon came to college, he was immersed in game action. He participated in four games during his true freshman campaign in 2021 and recorded one tackle. He was allowed to make use of his red shirt because he only appeared in four games that season.
He participated in all 12 games and made five starts for the Spartans in 2022 as a redshirt freshman. With 30 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery at the end of the season, he was quite the player.
Playing in all 12 games again, Harmon’s stats in his third year with the team included 40 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble. In the 2023 campaign, as a redshirt sophomore, he recorded new career highs in tackles and tackles for loss.
This past season, he participated in 475 defensive snaps. With a grade of 78.4, Harmon was MSU’s best-graded defensive player overall (minimum 20 snaps), per Pro Football Focus.
He declared on November 29 that he intended to use the transfer site following the 2023 season, and on December 4, he did so formally. He garnered interest from a number of elite schools, including Auburn, Ohio State, Oregon, and others, while using the transfer portal.
Harmon is coming back to East Lansing to take charge of an interior defensive line group that will feature Barrow, Alex VanSumeren, Jarrett Jackson, Maverick Hansen, and others, should he decide to return in 2024.
Please visit the Spartans Illustrated Transfer Portal Tracker to stay up-to-date on any Michigan State transfer portal activities.
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