Tag: Derrick Harmon

Derrick Harmon whiff places fresh pressure on Lincoln Riley at USC

USC’s margin for error is much smaller without Derrick Harmon on board.

The USC Trojans needed to land Derrick Harmon, but they didn’t. Oregon did. We are left with a situation in which the Trojans don’t seem to have enough high-level defensive linemen after a brutal 2023 season in which their defense didn’t measure up. It’s true that Lincoln Riley has dramatically upgraded the defensive coaching staff, but USC doesn’t appear to have enough dudes to compete at the very highest levels of the Big Ten.

Riley might have made appropriate staffing adjustments, but the residue of last year’s failed 8-5 season likely contributed to Harmon choosing Oregon over USC. The Ducks are closer to a national title than the Trojans are. Harmon’s decision can be seen as rational in that context.

All of this puts more heat on Riley. USC football analyst Josh Webb reminded everyone about Riley’s pronounced limitations when writing this:

“If you were to take a look at total defense stats for the years Riley has been a head coach and average them out, you’d get a team that’s consistently 81st in the nation in total defense. What about that screams elite? Then there’s the fact that in the last two years, he’s averaging 110th in the nation, so that aspect of the team is going in the wrong direction as well. All of this is without going into splits or different aspects like the run game, run game defense, sacks allowed, sacks gained, or anything of that nature. It gets worse. 

“Is Lincoln Riley really that much better than any other Air Raid coach? Have we been caught up in the idea of Riley being successful those first couple of years (at Oklahoma) and then applied that to years in which his teams look outclassed and outcoached? I honestly don’t know the answer and I suspect I am not alone. Riley looks like a giant mystery right now.”

We will see how much 2024 amplifies or changes these kinds of very reasonable worries about Lincoln Riley.

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The inconvenient truth is that Oregon is closer to a natty than USC

Derrick Harmon saw that Oregon is closer to a national championship than USC. It’s hard to blame him.

The reality of the situation is that USC needed Derrick Harmon in the transfer portal. The reality is that Oregon got him and USC did not. We wrote about Harmon several days ago:

“The Trojans have gone in the wrong direction, losing two of the four defensive line players north of 300 pounds on the roster. On Thursday, multiple online sources announced that 6-foot-2, 305-pound redshirt freshman Deijon Laffitte had entered the transfer portal. Laffitte was considered a project and was not expected to play a significant role on the defensive line in 2024, but after Isaiah Raikes entered the transfer portal two weeks ago and recently signed with Auburn, USC needed to add — not lose — depth.

“In a move reminiscent of Bear Alexander’s brief flirtation with the transfer portal, 6-foot-4 nose tackle Christen Miller from Georgia created a stir when he toyed with the idea. However, a day later, Miller put the speculation to rest by reaffirming his commitment to the Bulldogs.”

USC has lost players and missed out on players in its pursuit of defensive line help. Oregon has swooped in and grabbed Harmon despite USC having elite defensive line coach Eric Henderson as a major selling point.

One can’t really blame Henderson or D’Anton Lynn or any first-year member of the new coaching staff. Oregon also has Phil Knight’s Nike money, an undeniable source of leverage for the Ducks. We’re not dumb enough to ignore that. It’s obviously a central factor in Oregon beating out USC for another key player. Yet, if you are Derrick Harmon, it has to be said that Eric Henderson — as attractive as he might have been in presenting USC as the place to be — was not enough to offset one simple and very inconvenient truth: Oregon, with its combination of recruiting wins, established depth, and portal acquisitions, is closer to a national championship than USC. Oregon definitely has more depth. Dillon Gabriel is a more proven quarterback — we didn’t say better, but he’s certainly more established — than Miller Moss. Oregon has fewer questions along its offensive line. Harmon quite reasonably wanted to be the proverbial “final piece of the puzzle” on a team many will pick to win the Big Ten and fend off Ohio State this year.

USC is not where Oregon is. We don’t like saying it, and we wish we didn’t have to say it … but we do, because we believe in telling it like it is instead of saying what people want to hear.

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Derrick Harmon chooses Oregon in transfer portal, dealing USC a big blow

This was a portal battle USC urgently needed to win. The Trojans lost.

The USC Trojans really, really needed to land Michigan State transfer portal prospect Derrick Harmon. We made no secret of this. The Trojans have lacked depth and bodies up front. They need another strong, hefty piece on their defensive line to feel they have enough heft to thrive in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, Oregon has beaten USC yet again in a big chase for a key player.

Ducks Wire has more on this story:

“In the early transfer window, Harmon entered the portal and looked around for a new team, ultimately taking a visit to Oregon before deciding to return to East Lansing with Jonathan Smith. After a few offseason months, though, Harmon re-entered the portal and decided to fly west to Eugene.

“In two full seasons and a redshirt freshman year at Michigan State, Harmon played in 25 games as a Spartan, taking 979 defensive snaps. In his career, Harmon has tallied 71 total tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and forced a fumble. 247Sports ranks him as a 4-star transfer and the No. 1 defensive tackle in the portal.”

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Oregon Ducks land commitment from Michigan State DL transfer Derrick Harmon

The Oregon Ducks landed a commitment from former Michigan State Spartans DL Derrick Harmon, the No. 1 available DL in the portal.

The Oregon Ducks didn’t have a long list of needs to fill in the spring transfer portal window, but they certainly landed one of the most impactful available players, getting a commitment from former Michigan State Spartans DL Derrick Harmon.

In the early transfer window, Harmon entered the portal and looked around for a new team, ultimately taking a visit to Oregon before deciding to return to East Lansing with Jonathan Smith. After a few offseason months, though, Harmon re-entered the portal and decided to fly west to Eugene.

In two full seasons and a redshirt freshman year at Michigan State, Harmon played in 25 games as a Spartan, taking 979 defensive snaps. In his career, Harmon has tallied 71 total tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and forced a fumble. 247Sports ranks him as a 4-star transfer and the No. 1 defensive tackle in the portal.

While the Ducks have been incredibly successful in the portal this year, one area they could stand to address this spring was on the interior defensive line, where youth and unknown depth was prevalent. Now they get an established starter who can have a huge impact right away with Oregon

Former Michigan State football transfer DT Derrick Harmon chooses Oregon

Former Michigan State transfer DT Derrick Harmon chooses Oregon

Next year, Oregon will be making their big debut in the Big Ten, and now they have an experienced Big Ten defensive tackle anchoring their defensive line, at the expense of Michigan State football.

A day after it was reported that defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was still considering a return to MSU, he committed to transfer to the Ducks.

LOOK: MSU FOOTBALL SPRING TRANSFER TRACKER

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Michigan State football, Stephen F. Austin transfer DT Brandon Lane reportedly agree to part ways

Michigan State football, Stephen F. Austin transfer DT Brandon Lane reportedly agree to part ways

According to a report from Spartans Illustrated, Michigan State football and Stephen F. Austin transfer Brandon Lane have mutually agreed to part ways and Lane will seek an opportunity elsewhere.

This is interesting timing, as it just came out today that MSU might not be out of the running to have defensive tackle Derrick Harmon return. Harmon entered the portal on April 23.

LOOK: MSU FOOTBALL SPRING TRANSFER TRACKER

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RUMOR: Ohio State offers former Michigan State defensive lineman

RUMOR: Ohio State offers former Michigan State D-Lineman #GoBucks

Ohio State handled the departure section of the transfer portal relatively unscathed with only five players leaving that were predicted to see significant action this season. But now comes the fun part. With these openings, Ohio State has some wiggle room as far as brining in potential contributors from the transfer portal and one strong rumor circulating surrounds a Big Ten opponent.

Michigan State interior defensive lineman, Derrick Harmon, has entered the transfer portal and rumor has it, there is mutual interest in him becoming a potential Buckeye. The Spartans have seen their fair share of guys enter the portal, as is expected when you see a coaching change, but Harmon was a key piece to this defense.

Harmon finished last season with 40 tackles with 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Now Ohio State fans shouldn’t look at him as a savior of any kind, but he would provide some intriguing depth and experience to an already stacked unit.

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MSU reportedly still in ‘mix’ for transfer DL Derrick Harmon

Could defensive lineman Derrick Harmon be returning to Michigan State after all?

Could defensive lineman Derrick Harmon be returning to Michigan State after all?

College football insider Pete Nakos of On3 put out a list of schools still “in the mix” for Harmon — which included Michigan State. Harmon entered the transfer portal last week and has been considered one of the best available portal targets remaining.

Colorado and USC have been rumored as the favorites to land Harmon. However, a return to Michigan State could also be in play. Should Harmon return, it would be a big lift for the Spartans’ defense in 2024.

Click on the link below to read the complete story from Nakos:

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Report: Oregon Ducks still in the mix for Michigan State DL Derrick Harmon

Michigan State DL Derrick Harmon is still a potential target for the Oregon Ducks, per report.

We knew that in the spring transfer portal window, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks would be very particular about who they would attempt to add to the roster after getting one of the more impressive portal hauls in the nation earlier this offseason.

While it seems like all signs point towards Alabama safety transfer Peyton Woodyard ending up in Eugene, we are also now learning that the Ducks are very much in the mix for Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, as well.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, teams like Colorado and USC have emerged as leading candidates to land Harmon, who was an All-Big Ten player with 40 tackles and 3.5 TFL last year, but the Ducks are still pushing hard to land him as well.

Harmon entered the transfer portal in the winter, and the Ducks tried hard to bring him to Eugene, hosting him for a visit in mid-December. Ultimately, Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith convinced Harmon to stick around for the offseason, but now that Harmon’s back in the portal, the Ducks have a second chance to make the addition.

We will watch over the next couple of weeks and see how Oregon can fair in his recruitment.

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Derrick Harmon portal chase could come down to USC and Colorado

It could be a USC-Colorado fight for Michigan State transfer Derrick Harmon.

The USC Trojans and Colorado Buffaloes might be the last two schools standing in the transfer portal battle for Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. This could be an Eric Henderson-Deion Sanders competition, though we don’t know for sure.

USC really needs to win this portal race. Multiple defensive linemen have transferred out of USC in recent weeks, eroding the Trojans’ level of depth. USC can and should get some depth-piece-level players in the portal just to increase the number of bodies available on the roster, but the Trojans also need a high-end performer who can instantly upgrade the position group and enable USC to compete in the Big Ten this fall.

Derrick Harmon, a player with Big Ten experience and proven quality, checks all the boxes for the kind of instant-impact player USC needs on its defensive front in 2024. Getting him would significantly boost USC’s chances of producing a successful 2024 season. Missing out on him would clearly leave USC shorthanded in the trenches. This is high-stakes poker.

With Miami ducking out of the Harmon sweepstakes, the field has been reduced. USC and Colorado both have a better chance than they did two days ago. All eyes are on this transfer portal battle.

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