1. Harlon T Barnett was born on January 2,1967 and is an American football coach and former player who is currently the defensive backs coach at Northwestern University.
23 Facts About Harlon Barnett
1. 2.
Harlon Barnett was the interim head coach at Michigan State University for most of the 2023 season.
3.
Harlon Barnett was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was a standout athlete at Princeton High School.
4.
Harlon Barnett earned a full athletic scholarship to play football at Michigan State University.
5.
Harlon Barnett was a three-year starter for head coach George Perles at Michigan State.
6.
In that season, Harlon Barnett compiled 73 stops, three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries.
7.
Harlon Barnett played on the 1987 Big Ten and 1988 Rose Bowl championship team and played in the 1989 Gator Bowl and the 1989 Aloha Bowl.
8.
Harlon Barnett finished his career as a Spartan with 154 tackles, six interceptions, and 13 pass break-ups.
9.
Harlon Barnett played three seasons in Cleveland before spending two seasons with the New England Patriots and two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
10.
Harlon Barnett earned his bachelor's degree in communication from Michigan State in 1990.
11.
Harlon Barnett went to broadcasting school while playing for the Cleveland Browns.
12.
Harlon Barnett was recruited in 1998 by then-Michigan State head coach Nick Saban to serve as a sideline reporter for Michigan State football.
13.
Harlon Barnett served as a sideline reporter for Saban's final two seasons at Michigan State.
14.
The next time Harlon Barnett interviewed with Saban, it was for a graduate assistant opening on Saban's LSU football staff.
15.
Harlon Barnett returned to his alma mater in 2007 as a coach.
16.
Harlon Barnett coached the defensive backs his entire 11 years under Dantonio; he was promoted to assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator prior to Michigan State's victory in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic over Baylor, and was again promoted to associate head coach in June 2017.
17.
Harlon Barnett spent two seasons as defensive coordinator at Florida State University under Willie Taggart.
18.
Harlon Barnett returned to Michigan State in 2020 to coach the secondary.
19.
Harlon Barnett was one of two coaches retained on the new coaching staff by Smith.
20.
Harlon Barnett is known for his success in developing players at the University of Cincinnati, Michigan State University and Florida State University.
21.
In three seasons at Cincinnati, Harlon Barnett coached four defensive backs to all-conference honors.
22.
For Michigan State University, Harlon Barnett has coached 10 Spartan defensive backs who have been selected in the NFL Draft, two of whom were first-round picks, four All-Americans, three Thorpe Award semifinalists, and one Thorpe Award recipient.
23.
Harlon Barnett married his college sweetheart, Tammy Harlon Barnett, in 1991 and they have two children, Todd and Tori.