Michigan State transfer DL Derrick Harmon makes surprise commitment to Oregon

Former Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Harmon has committed to Oregon, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported. Harmon will have multiple years of eligibility remaining.

In the winter transfer window, Harmon entered the portal and eventually withdrew, but did take a visit to Oregon during that time.

Harmon has been with the Spartans since 2021, holding onto a redshirt in his freshman season. He played in 25 games during his time with Michigan State, totaling 71 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

Harmon played high school football at Detroit’s Loyola (Mich.) High School, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 988 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Oregon’s head coach recently reflected on his hiring there

Coming off a 12-win season and looking to reach the College Football Playoff in 2024 as the field expands, Dan Lanning is doing a masterful job so far as Oregon‘s coach.

So far the fit between coach and program has been like a glove, with Lanning orchestrating a whole lot of winning in his two seasons in charge. The Ducks are 22-5, with a 15-3 mark in Pac-12 play.

But the current head coach wasn’t even entirely sure he’d get the job two years ago. In fact, it emerged somewhat out of the blue, without obvious connections or relationships what would have facilitated the hire in the first place.

“There were some opportunities to interview for head coaching jobs before, so it wasn’t my first interview. But they kind of come to you,” Dan Lanning explained on a recent episode of Bussin with the Boys. “You don’t know when it’s going to come.”

The head coach broke down when it was that he first learned of Oregon’s interest. He was serving as the defensive coordinator at Georgia at the time.

“On this one I’m actually flying on a trip to Miami to do official visits, so I’m recruiting for Georgia and at the time really, really satisfied with my situation at Georgia,” Dan Lanning said. “We had just lost the SEC Championship, I’m kind of focused on the Orange Bowl. But I’m going down here to recruit a kid and I get a call saying, ‘Hey, these guys want to hop on a Zoom.’ So I do a Zoom in an airport, FBO, throw on kind of a suit coat and that was just kind of the start of it.

“It really escalated really fast after that night, after that initial Zoom with some more phone calls. It goes quick. You never know when it’s going to come. There were times where I thought I would get offered a head coaching job and I didn’t. And then this one was probably one that I didn’t think was necessarily (going to).”