Derrick Harmon talks at Oregon's Media Day
Derrick Harmon is the first newcomer from this past offseason to talk at Oregon’s media day. The defensive tackle transfer from Michigan State has experience playing in the Big Ten. Harmon had an interesting route of reaching Oregon after entering the transfer portal two separate occasions.
On the decision to enter the transfer portal a second time:
“Really me, making a decision for me,” Harmon says. “I feel like it was best for me at the end with where I’m trying to go. I feel like this coaching staff can take me there…” In a follow-up to his answer about the coaching staff Harmon had this to say, “You’ve got three coaches (Lanning, Lupoi, Tuioti) that had something to do with the defensive line in their pasts, you don’t get that at other universities.” An interesting tidbit here is that the staff showed Derrick how former Georgia defensive lineman such as Jordan Davis, and Jalen Carter were used. The three afore mentioned coaches also showed Harmon his own tape and how they would help him improve his game.
On how prior off-seasons compared to this off-season:
“It’s different, It’s different here. They say it, but it’s different here. It’s nothing that I (had) experienced. I feel like the weight room and conditioning is a little bit the same, just (because) they are all coming from Alabama and the Coach Saban era, and I was with Tuck (Former MSU HC Mel Tucker). When asked what was so different about it, Harmon responded with, “The tempo, everybody is trying to win here, everyone has a winning mindset, you’ve got guys putting in extra work here, not just leaving the facility after the mandatory (workouts). Guys will try to get (what isn’t expected of you) here, and I love that.”
On facing now teammate Matthew Bedford, in the past, and present:
For background, both players faced off while at their former schools, Matthew Bedford was at Indiana, and Harmon at Michigan State. “I can’t wait until fall camp, we start Wednesday, I can’t wait to go against them. It was good going against him in the Big Ten, he’s a good player; great player, great guy outside of football. I can’t wait for that battle in fall camp now.”
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On the narrative that Oregon isn’t ready for the Big Ten’s physicality.
“We’ve got some dudes on the D-Line. You’ve got (Jordan) Burch that’s 6’6, 270-pounds, c’mon now you’re now getting that everywhere, that’s Big Ten body right there, and SEC. We’ve got the bodies to handle the Big Ten, so I don’t want anyone to think that. We’ve got the bodies inside, on the outside, from freshman, sophomores, young guys that are big…. This defense can match up in the Big Ten for sure.”
On going up against Oregon’s Offensive Line every day:
“Right now with just going through these walkthroughs, this is a good O-Line. That was one of my reasons too (to transfer to Oregon), going against this O-Line in fall camp, that’s going to help me prepare for Ohio State, and Michigan.”
