Tag: Harlon Barnett

Rounding up every new Michigan State Football staff hire under Mel Tucker

Michigan State has a new head football coach in Mel Tucker. You can find all of his new staff hires here.

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The introduction of Mel Tucker as the replacement for Mark Dantonio as the new head coach for Michigan State Football has brought with it a number of coaching hires as Tucker looks to fill out his staff. Part of Tucker’s deal included an increase in salary to build out a new Michigan State Football staff with some of the best coaching talents in the country, and Tucker has been hard at work putting together a team of coaches around him that are widely respected. Here is a round-up of every new hire in the Tucker era.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: Michigan State clubs Nebraska, HARLON BARNETT BACK

One of the most well-regarded MSU football assistants is coming back home

Wil and Matt talk about Michigan State cruising to a win over Nebraska. Then they discuss the returns of Connor Heyward and Harlon Barnett to Michigan State football.

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You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Harlon Barnett returns to Michigan State as Mel Tucker’s defensive backs coach

Barnett returns to MSU after a two-year stint as defensive coordinator at Florida State

What seemed like a logical return to Michigan State has become official for Harlon Barnett.

The school has announced that former Michigan State defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett has been hired by Mel Tucker as his defensive backs coach.

Barnett coached the defensive backs his entire 11 years under Mark Dantonio at MSU, and was promoted to assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator prior to the 2015 Cotton Bowl. He was named associate head coach in 2017.

“I’ve known Harlon Barnett for more than 20 years,” said Mel Tucker in a release from the school. “He’s a fantastic coach and recruiter, and really connects with his players. He’s a man of character and family is very important to him. He’s a true Spartan and we’re happy to have him back here in East Lansing.”

Barnett left Michigan State after the 2017 season to take the defensive coordinator position under Willie Taggart at Florida State. Barnett was not retained after Taggart was fired during the 2019 season.

Barnett has coached nine Spartan defensive backs that were selected in the NFL Draft, including two first-rounders (Darqueze Dennard, No. 24, Cincinnati Bengals, 2014; Trae Waynes, No. 11, Minnesota Vikings, 2015). Dennard won the Thorpe award as the nation’s top defensive back at the conclusion of the 2013 season.

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Could Harlon Barnett be returning to Michigan State?

The former Michigan State assistant was spotted at the MSU vs. Maryland game Saturday

So far Mel Tucker’s staff at Michigan State looks a lot like Mark Dantonio’s 2019 staff, but that could be changing.

Well, sort of.

Tucker has hired two assistant coaches–that we know of–and both were a part of Mark Dantonio’s 2019 group of assistants, defensive line coach Ron Burton and former defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. Tressel’s role has yet to be announced, but there is speculation he could return to coaching linebackers, a position he coached in addition to his defensive coordinator duties. As Tucker continues to fill out his staff, speculation around a former Michigan State defensive assistant is ramping up thanks to a photo from the Michigan State basketball team’s game against Maryland.

Yes, that’s former Michigan State co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Harlon Barnett sitting with Burton at the Michigan State vs. Maryland game Saturday. If you look closely, Barnett is wearing a Michigan State shirt under his jacket. Could a return to East Lansing be imminent for Barnett?

A potential Barnett return would be welcome by many Spartans. A number of his former players publicly campaigned for him to get the head coaching job last week. Michigan State had two corners get drafted in the first round under Barnett and Darqueze Dennard won the Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in the country in 2013. Barnett was rated the 32nd-best recruiter in the country in 2019 by 24/7.

Barnett left Michigan State after the 2017 season to be the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Florida State. Barnett was not retained after former FSU coach Willie Taggart was fired and is currently without a coaching job.

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Former Michigan State football players call for Harlon Barnett to be next head coach

There’s no doubt who these former players want leading Michigan State next season.

It’s quite obvious who former Michigan State football players want to be the next head coach.

Not long after Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell declined the offer to be the next coach at MSU, tweets started pouring in from former players in support of former Michigan State co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett. Barnett left Michigan State after the 2017 season to be the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Florida State. Barnett was not retained after former FSU coach Willie Taggart was fired and is currently without a coaching job.

Here’s just a sampling of some of the tweets in support of Barnett.

A lot of the players in the above tweets were specifically coached by Barnett, who was also defensive backs coach during his time at MSU. But it is certainly notable that there are some offensive players in there as well and some former players who never played under Barnett. Also included is Montez Sweat, who was kicked off the Michigan State team in 2016, but still has positive things to say about Barnett.

Who knows if former players rising around him in support will get Barnett a look at the job, but if it does and he ends up getting it, at the very least he’ll have the support of some very import alumni.

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