BREAKING: Former Michigan State DL Derrick Harmon Commits to Oregon
The odds of former Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon staying in East Lansing have officially gone out the window.
According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, Harmon has committed to Oregon. The former Spartan entered the transfer portal on April 23.
Harmon was perhaps the best defensive player on Michigan State's roster last season. He turned in a career campaign, registering 40 combined tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
BREAKING: Former Michigan State Standout DL Derrick Harmon has Committed to Oregon, he tells @on3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 3, 2024
The 6’5 325 DL totaled 69 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, & 1 FF in his time with the Spartans
Was the Top Available DL in the Portal (per On3) đź‘€https://t.co/i5HzDgZd5M pic.twitter.com/zq6Z17FSTn
Pro Football Focus gave Harmon an overall defensive grade of 78.4, a run defense grade of 81.1 and a pass defense grade of 72.3 for his 2023 campaign. His overall grade was a significant improvement from his 2022 season, which he earned a grade of 59.8 for.
Harmon played in 28 games in his three seasons as a Spartan. He recorded a total of 71 tackles, 6.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, two passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
We had reported on Thursday that Michigan State was still in contention to return Harmon, as the defensive tackle had begun to narrow his choices down to Michigan State, Oregon, Ohio State, USC and Colorado.
With Oregon joining the Big Ten, the Spartans will face Harmon on Oct. 5 when Michigan State takes on the Ducks at Autzen Stadium.
Oregon will be joined by USC, Washington and UCLA as the other Pac-12 teams joining the conference but is the only addition that the Spartans will face next season.
Harmon's commitment is yet another big hit to the Spartans, who also just lost transfer defensive tackle Brandon Lane on Thursday. Michigan State also lost defensive tackle Simeon Barrow Jr. to the portal last month.
Harmon had entered the transfer a first time back in December before deciding to withdraw his name and return to the program.
Michigan State is going to have to continue to be aggressive in the portal, especially on the defensive line. New Spartans coach Jonathan Smith was quick to bring in transfers when he first joined the program, but the spring edition of the transfer portal has set his progress back quite a bit.
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