MSU's Harlon Barnett Will Interview For Head Coach Job: 'Nobody They Can Find Better'
Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett dreamed of some day coaching the Spartans way back in 2004, when Mark Dantonio asked him to join his staff at the University of Cincinnati.
Barnett's opportunity did not come until nearly two decades later, but it came under circumstances the former Spartan defensive back never would have dreamed of.
Barnett had a tough task in taking over Michigan State's program in the wake of former head coach Mel Tucker's sexual harassment scandal, which ultimately resulted in Tucker being fired. The Spartans dropped six consecutive games in the immediate aftermath after Barnett agreed to take on the interim tag, but have won two of their past three as the season nears its end.
Ahead of Michigan State's regular season-finale against Penn State, and in the midst of the University's national search for the next head coach of its football program, Barnett confirmed he will interview for the job and do his utmost to have the interim tag removed.
"I do want this job as the head football coach," Barnett said. "There's nobody that they can go find that loves this place more than I do, and I don't think will do a better job. Because, there's something to loving a place and caring about a place, as opposed to just going there for a job. There's extra that will be done, above and beyond, understanding the place. I understand what Michigan State is all about, and our alumni and our fans."
Barnett followed Dantonio to Michigan State in 2007, serving as the defensive backs coach and eventually a co-defensive coordinator for the next 11 years. After a brief, two-year stint as the defensive coordinator at Florida State, Barnett returned to MSU to coach the secondary under Tucker in 2020. As a player, Barnett was a three-year starter, won a Big Ten championship as a junior and was named an All-American by the Sporting News as a senior.
"That's my elevator pitch...my fast ball, my blitz to knock somebody out," Barnett said of his love for MSU, as it pertains to interviewing for the full-time job. "That's my deal. I am a Spartan, I bleed green and there's nobody that they can find that can do a better job...Maybe equal to, but not better."
Michigan State began interviewing candidates virtually last week, and several current head coaches have reportedly advanced to a second round of interviews. The current general belief is that MSU athletic director Alan Haller will hire his next head football coach from outside the program, but Barnett has a strong advocate within Michigan State's athletic department — men's basketball coach Tom Izzo.
"First of all, I've talked quite a bit of what I think of Harlon as a person," Izzo said. "He's unbelievable. But, you learn a lot about a guy in adversity and look what he's done with this team. I mean, God, I was at a game or two that I know they had won, and if they win them they'd be bowl eligible right now."
Izzo mentioned the challenges Barnett faced in the modern era of college athletics, which opened a 30-day transfer portal window to any of MSU's players to depart the program immediately following Tucker's firing. Despite the open door, Michigan State only saw a handful of players choose to leave.
"I know everybody's going to say 'if and was', but if anybody has any idea of what he's been through with these ridiculous rules now on when you can leave, and in football it's even worse. You can play four games and sit out some games and decide not to play, transfer whenever you want, injuries up the ying yang. He's kept that thing pretty damn good, which speaks volumes."
Izzo said he learned from former Michigan State football coach George Perles, who was Barnett's head coach in the late 80s, that when looking for the right person to hire, give special consideration to individuals who have a passion for the university and have experienced what it's like to play for and represent that place.
"Great coaches, to me, are people that can motivate other people and that understand the surroundings they're in," Izzo said. "I've talked to Harlon twice every week, and I appreciate, frankly, what he's done. I understand the circumstances he's working under. I'm not sure most people do.
"To keep a group of players in this day and age together like he has, well, that's worth a lot of consideration and a lot of things. The guy is special, I really mean that. I'm a huge Harlon Barnett fan. And what Alan [Haller] and the people decide to do...I can appreciate he wants to be under consideration."
Barnett said it took a while to get his feet under him with the added responsibilities that come with being a head coach. He said it was between the games against Iowa and Rutgers, his third and fourth game as the interim coach, when he started to feel comfortable in the role.
"In this position, I've grown," Barnett said. "There's a rhythm to how you do things, so I've finally caught the rhythm. Once you catch the rhythm, then you start doing pretty decent at it, then you start to gain confidence. That's what's happened with me going through this...Understanding that you're not really a coach anymore, you're more of a councilor. I've learned that."
Michigan State will travel to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day in preparation for its season-finale against Penn State on Black Friday (7:30 p.m./NBC). Several reports indicate that Haller and MSU wish to name the Spartans' next head coach shortly thereafter.
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