Michigan State football stock watch following Akron shutout in Week 2

Stock up: Derrick Harmon, DT

I will admit, Derrick Harmon was not a player I thought I would be writing about heading into this game, but here I am. Harmon played in a single game last season, recording an assist on a tackle. He matched that total on Saturday and was a player who stood out on defense for the Spartans.

Even if you did not have time to watch the Spartan destroy the hapless Zips and only tuned in to the box score, you will notice that Harmon appears multiple times. Harmon finished with a half sack as well as a fumble recovery. Michigan State rotates their defensive tackles often, and for a player to be popping on the stat line as a redshirt freshman is a good sign for the future. Not bad for a player that 247Sports barely ranked in the top 1,000 (No. 975) coming out of high school.

Stock analysis

Harmon played well in his snaps on Saturday and provides a great rotational piece for the Spartans. With Jacob Slade missing some time against the Zips, as well as Dashaun Mallory and Jalen Hunt missing their second consecutive game, we may see more of Harmon in the immediate future.

If last week is anything to go off of, I do not believe that this is necessarily a bad thing. Harmon will not pass Slade or Simeon Barrow for a starting position, but his playing time should increase as the season progresses. Next year, he could be the candidate to replace a graduating Slade.