Class of '21 Defensive Tackle Derrick Harmon Talks Michigan State
East Lansing, MI— An offer from Michigan State was one that Detroit (MI) Loyola 2021 defensive tackle Derrick Harmon had long been waiting for and the 6-foot-4½, 340-pound standout landed an offer from the Spartans last Friday.
Spartan Nation recently spoke with Harmon to recap his offer and said it was a big deal for him.
“It was a dream come true, really,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for that offer; ever since I’ve been in Michigan, I’ve been watching Michigan State beat Michigan and stuff like that.”
Harmon said that he found out about his offer from the Spartans over the phone and was told that the staff, including head coach Mel Tucker, liked what they saw from his tape and added he had a good conversation with defensive line coach Ron Burton as well.
“One of the coaches DM’d me and asked me to get on the phone with them, and of course I got on the phone with him, and he told me that they like my tape,” he said. “Mel Tucker, he loved it, he watched it, and they wanted to offer me. I got on the phone with the d-line coach, and he said he loved me and wanted to stay in contact, and as soon as this is over, he wants me to get back to Michigan State. I’ve been there plenty of times, but with the old staff, though.”
Since being offered by Michigan State, Harmon said that he’s been able to develop a good relationship with Burton and is in contact with him daily.
“The relationship we have right now is cool, he contacts me every day since the offer, sends me pictures here and there to show me what they’ve got going on,” he said. “I like him, I think he’s a good dude, and I could see myself getting coached by him.”
Considering he’s been on campus plenty of times in East Lansing, Harmon told Spartan Nation that he’d come away with a good feeling for the program and the players.
“I like the place; I do,” he said. “To me, it seems like it’s a brotherhood. When I went there, they were doing little spring practices, and if someone messes up, they would come and pat them on the head, slap their butt, tell them to get better, come on, let’s work or just talking and having fun. That’s something I’d like to be a part of.”
Harmon also spoke highly of the football facilities at Michigan State.
“The facility was beautiful, and I mean it was beautiful,” he said. “As soon as you walked in, there was the trophy case. The meeting room was beautiful, I liked it, and the individual meeting rooms were nice too. I liked everything about Michigan State, the weight room and how big it was, the football stadium, just everything.”
While the NCAA is currently in a recruiting dead period due to COVID-19, Harmon said that he “most definitely” would like to get back on campus and meet with the new staff face-to-face now that he has an offer in hand.
An impressive 6-foot-4½, 340-pound defensive tackle, which is excellent at the point of attack has proven to be a reliable run stopper and flashes the ability to rush the passer, Harmon will be a primary target in the 2021 class for the Michigan State staff.
“I’m physical, I try to use my hands as best as I can, but sometimes I might just bullrush you,” Harmon said of his style of play. “I feel like I can get to that ball when I need to.”
Harmon also holds offers from Purdue, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Central Michigan, Buffalo, Memphis, and Ball State.
After a start to his recruitment that he described as slow, Harmon said that the recruiting process picked up in the middle of last fall and has seen offers come in regularly since.
“It was slow at the beginning, my first offer was Central Michigan, and I would say for about four to five months, no schools were getting in contact with me,” he said. “In the middle of my junior year, that’s when I started blowing up, and I started getting offers like crazy.”
For all of the latest news on Harmon and the Spartans, be sure to stay tuned to Spartan Nation!
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