Harlon Barnett, of Princeton HS, named Michigan State Spartans football acting head coach
Cincinnati native Harlon Barnett will serve as the Michigan State Spartans' acting head coach, and former University of Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mark Dantonio will return and serve as associate head coach during HC Mel Tucker's suspension, according to an announcement Sunday from MSU athletic director Alan Haller.
Tucker has been accused in a complaint filed with the university's Title IX office of sexual harassment by Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor who educates athletes about sexual violence.
Barnett, 56, is a former Princeton High School standout and coach who played seven NFL seasons, coached defensive backs at UC from 2004 to 2006 and coached defensive backs at MSU from 2007 to 2014 before becoming the Spartans' co-defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2017. He coached at Florida State for two seasons and returned to MSU in 2020 to coach defensive backs.
In 2020, then-Bengals defensive back Darqueze Dennard was among former Spartan players endorsing Barnett for the Spartans' head coaching vacancy when Dantonio announced his retirement.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Harlon Barnett named Michigan State football acting head coach
