A former Mark Dantonio assistant coach at Michigan State is on the move again.
After spending the past two seasons at Northwestern, Harlon Barnett is headed to a different Power Four job with a familiar face leading the way.
The former secondary coach under Dantonio and Mel Tucker has found a new job at Pitt after Pat Narduzzi reportedly poached him from Northwestern where he saw a decent amount of success over the past two seasons.
Pittsburgh is expected to hire Northwestern safeties coach/assistant head coach Harlon Barnett, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 5, 2026
Before Northwestern, he worked at Michigan State, including as interim head coach in 2023. Before that, he was defensive coordinator at Florida State. pic.twitter.com/kYG1BO4L51
It’s cool to see two former Dantonio assistants reuiniting in Pittsburgh where Barnett will likely coach the defensive backs in some capacity. At Michigan State, the two pieced together one of the best defenses in college football and Barnett helped create the ‘No Fly Zone’ in East Lansing.
He coached guys like Trae Waynes and Darqueze Dennard who were both first-round NFL draft picks and had moderate success in the league. He also helped develop several other NFL draft picks and he was one of the key pieces that made Michigan State so successful under Dantonio.
The Spartans won’t have to worry about facing Barnett during the regular season anymore as he’s no longer in the Big Ten.
Harlon Barnett has been on the move since 2018
The former Michigan State secondary coach continues to land on his feet despite bouncing around quite a bit since his days under Dantonio.
The former Michigan State defensive back returned to coach at his alma mater under Dantonio, and had a successful run as an assistant during one of the most successful eras of Spartan football. He then left for Florida State where he was the defensive coordinator under then-head coach Willie Taggart.
After Taggart was fired, newly-hired Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker brought him back in to coach the defensive backs. He spent a few years there before becoming the interim head coach when Tucker was fired, and then he left for Northwestern after Jonathan Smith didn’t retain him.
Now, he’s back with Narduzzi at Pitt, working with him for the first time since the Cotton Bowl win back in 2014.
Somewhere, Dantonio is smiling.