Northwestern DB Garnett Hollis Jr. enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Northwestern defensive back Garnett Hollis Jr. has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. After spending four years at Northwestern, Hollis will likely be a graduate transfer.

After sitting out his freshman season, Hollis started to see more time during the 2021 season and played in five games. As a junior, he made four starts and appeared in eight games, setting the stage for a strong senior season.

He played in all 13 games for the Wildcats in 2023, hauling in an interception and defending three other passes. He totaled 49 tackles, including 3.5 for loss.

Hollis is rated a college four-star by On3, and is one of the top 300 players nationally in college.

Northwestern recently made a notable hire from a conference rival

Northwestern is set to hire Harlon Barnett as defensive backs coach, according to The Inside Zone’s Matt Fortuna. He served in the same role at Michigan State for over three years before serving as interim head coach after the firing of Mel Tucker.

Barnett is coming off his second stint at Michigan State after previously working as the Spartans’ defensive backs coach and eventually co-defensive coordinator from 2007-17. From there, he headed to Florida State to serve as the defensive coordinator under Willie Taggart and returned to East Lansing in 2020.

Barnett totaled a 2-8 record as Michigan State’s interim head coach, but was not retained on staff under new coach Jonathan Smith. He confirmed that decision in an interview with the Lansing State Journal’s Graham Couch and said he planned to keep coaching in some capacity.

“After 20 football seasons at Michigan State, five as a player, 15 as a coach, my time is up,” Barnett said. “It’s time for me to move on. I’m looking for opportunities at other programs, be it college or the NFL. I’m excited about it. It’s time.”

Barnett got his coaching start in 1998 at the high school level, but joined Nick Saban’s staff at LSU in 2003 as a graduate assistant. Then, he headed to Cincinnati as defensive backs coach from 2004-06 before his first go-round at Michigan State.

Northwestern put together an impressive 2023 season under interim head coach David Braun, who took over after the firing of Pat Fitzgerald. The Wildcats finished with an 8-5 record as part of a major turnaround from a 1-11 mark in 2022, and Braun received the full-time position before season’s end.