Michigan State Will See Familiar Face Against Oregon
The Michigan State Spartans take on the Oregon Ducks under the lights in Eugene on Friday, looking to avoid their third straight loss.
The biggest storyline in this game is a familiar face appearing on the other side of the line.
Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, who transferred from Michigan State to Oregon in April, will face his former team for the first time.
Harmon has been excellent for the Ducks this season, posting 18 total tackles, four for loss, a forced fumble, two passes defended, and four sacks.
He is the 17th-highest-rated defensive tackle in the country and the third-highest in the Big Ten on Pro Football Focus.
Harmon’s transfer came as a surprise to Jonathan Smith and his staff. When Smith took over, several Spartans entered the transfer portal – including Harmon – which is natural for players with a new coaching staff coming in.
Smith and his staff identified Harmon as a key player they wanted to retain, and they made that happen despite big offers from top Power Four schools in his ear.
Harmon was expected to be a leader on a rejuvenated Spartan defense. If he had a good season in East Lansing, he could have propelled himself into 2025 NFL Draft stature.
But when the spring transfer portal window opened up, those schools came calling for Harmon again. Oregon was the lucky winner for Harmon’s talents, and Michigan State was left without one of its top defensive players.
It was similar to Keon Coleman entering the portal in the 2023 offseason. Coleman transferred to Florida State, where he earned national exposure, and his draft stock skyrocketed.
However, despite losing Harmon to Oregon and Simeon Barrow Jr. to Miami, the Spartans’ interior defensive line has performed quite well. Michigan State is 10th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed per game and 30th nationally in yards allowed per rush.
Michigan State’s offensive line is banged up, and Harmon has been a force on the interior for the Ducks this season. The Spartans’ interior offensive line must dig deep against Harmon to stop him from having a revenge game.
Harmon was once an underrated, undersized kid from Detroit who Michigan State took a chance on. Many were high on Harmon’s ceiling and potential, and his development followed that path.
He developed so well, in fact, that he played himself right out of East Lansing and into one of the best NIL programs in the country.
Will Michigan State players want to take down Harmon on Friday? Or will Harmon have a revenge game of his own?
We’ll find out on Friday night when the lights are brightest.
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