Report: Northwestern expected to hire Harlon Barnett as DBs coach
Northwestern is expected to hire Michigan State's Harlon Barnett as their defensive backs coach, according to Matt Zenitz. The report was confirmed by Matt Fortuna.
Barnett is an experienced, veteran hire for head coach David Braun's staff. A former defensive coordinator at Florida State and interim head coach last season at Michigan State, Barnett brings more than 20 years of college experience to his new role and is a well-respected coach.
Barnett was promoted from defensive backs coach at Michigan State to interim head coach after the firing of Mel Tucker last season. He had served as the defensive backs coach at his alma mater since 2020.
The 57-year-old Barnett started his college coaching career as a grad assistant for Nick Saban at LSU in 2003, winning the national championship with the Tigers that season. After three seasons at Cincinnati as their defensive backs coach, he was hired by Mark Dantonio when he took the Michigan State head job in 2007.
Barnett coached defensive backs for the Spartans through 2014, when he was promoted to co-defensive coordinator ahead of their College Football Playoff game in 2015. He was promoted again to associate head coach in 2017.
Barnett was hired away from East Lansing by head coach Willie Taggart to be the defensive coordinator at Florida State in 2018 and 2019. Barnett returned to Michigan State as defensive backs coach in 2020 after Taggart was fired in Tallahassee.
While Barnett struggled as interim with the Spartans, finishing 2-8 in 10 games, that is not indicative of the quality of coach he is and the splash hire he represents for the Wildcats.
Per his MSU Athletics biography, Barnett has coached 31 All-Big Ten players in the secondary, with nine different players earning first-team honors. He recruited and coached two first-round draft picks in the NFL: Darqueze Denard, who was the 24th pick of the 2014 Draft, and Trae Waynes, the 11th pick of the 2015 Draft.
He coached nine other NFL draft picks and four All-Americans at Michigan State during his two tenures with the Spartans. Michigan State went 100-45 with three Big Ten championships and a Playoff berth during those spans.
Head coach David Braun's on-field staff is now full with 10 assistants on staff. Expect DJ Vokolek, a floating defensive assistant last season, to take the role of linebackers coach, assuming that Tim McGarigle relinquishes the role with his promotion to defensive coordinator last month.
Cornerbacks coach LaMarcus Hicks is expected to continue in his current role, with Barnett focusing on safeties.
Braun said there was going to be one assistant hire that "may extend a little bit further" out than the others. If that process yielded the reported addition of Barnett to the Northwestern staff, it was well worth the wait.