Harlon Barnett: MSU Football Uniting in Face of Adversity

In his first public press conference as the acting head coach of Michigan State football, Harlon Barnett said he was "fired up" about the way his players have responded to the suspension of Mel Tucker in wake of sexual harassment allegations.

Upon being named active head coach, Barnett met with the team Sunday to get a feel of where the players were at mentally and emotionally, and explain how the Spartans would move forward.

“It was good,” Barnett said of the meeting, with a subtle smile. “It was actually really good...I told them, ‘Men, we have to all come together in this time of adversity, and we have to be unified through the adversity. We need all our leaders to lead, not only the coaches, but our leaders to lead.’ I told them we lead by love, encouragement, accountability and discipline.”

Barnett noted that his plan is to meet with each player individually this week. He spoke with 27 players on Monday, and his plan is to speak to an additional 20-plus on Tuesday. Barnett also plans to have one-on-one’s with MSU’s entire coaching and support staff.

"In talking with 27 of them yesterday, it was almost like they had a scripted answer, which fired me up," he said. "They told me, 'Coach, we know what it is. We’re going to keep moving, we’re going to keep fighting, we’re mission-focused – let’s go.'”

In modern college football, the risk of losing players to the transfer portal is always prevalent. Only two games into the 2023 season, any Michigan State player who has not previously redshirted has the ability to request not to play, maintain a year of eligibility, and enter the portal to finish their careers elsewhere. Thus far, no MSU player has approached Barnett and made such a request.

"No one," Barnett said emphatically.

Barnett did acknowledged that some of the players he met with Monday expressed initial shock upon hearing the news about Tucker, understandably so. However, leaders in the locker room called for a 'players-only' meeting, which Barnett said helped get the team back on solid ground and on the same page.

“They all said, ‘We talked about, hey, we’re on a mission and we’re going to complete this mission. So, let’s do what we’ve got to do – that’s lead, that support the coaches and go from here.’ They all said that," Barnett said. "That was very encouraging to me, because that’s the sign of the unity that I was talking about.”

Michigan State University, and the football program specifically, have been hit with a lot of adversity over the last 12 months. This includes the tunnel incident at Michigan Stadium, a mass shooting on campus which claimed the lives of three students and injured five others, and now an embarrassing sexual harassment scandal involving the head football coach.

Despite everything that's gone on during this stretch, Barnett said that the team has endured and remained focused on the task at hand.

“Spartans – when I say this, all Spartans will know what I’m talking about – we always talk about a chip on the shoulder," Barnett said.

"We’re tough, we’re Spartans, we’re resilient...We’re going to push through this as Spartans do. ‘Spartans Will’, right? We’re going to push through this. We will be better for it, like everybody does when they come out of adverse situations. They keep fighting, they keep pushing through. So, I expect that to happen.”

Barnett said that the football team's toughness and resiliency is already showing up in the two days of practice the Spartans have had this week.

"This is a determined group," he said. "They worked very hard this offseason, they’ve worked very hard so far this season. We're 2-0, right? They’re still motivated and excited to move forward in this season. We have a mission to complete, so we’re mission-focused.”

The mission this week is preparing for a Top 10 opponent in Washington, which will enter Spartan Stadium as the No. 8 team in the country and more than a two-touchdown favorite. The Huskies are led by a potential Heisman contender in quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has enjoyed a lot of success against the Spartans in the past.

“Our job as a staff is to focus on our guys and get them ready and prepared for the game on Saturday," Barnett said. "They’ve been focused. They’re locked in. They know the challenge that’s ahead of us with Penix. He's a really good football player...We know the challenge that is before us. We’re looking forward to the challenge, and can’t wait for Saturday.”

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