Not the way he wanted it, but Harlon Barnett is now leading Michigan State football

EAST LANSING — Harlon Barnett dressed for the part.

The job that’s been his dream for years, leading the Michigan State football program he once played for and has been a part of for most of his life. The job that’s now his, at least on a temporary basis. For now.

“I'm being totally honest here. I wanted to be the head coach of Michigan State,” Barnett said while wearing a crisp black suit, white shirt and green tie Tuesday at Spartan Stadium. “But not in this way, obviously.”

With the suspension of Mel Tucker amid allegations of sexual impropriety, MSU athletic director Alan Haller promoted his former teammate Barnett on Sunday to acting head coach as the Spartans prepare to host No. 8 Washington on Saturday.

Barnett will have help from his former boss Mark Dantonio, who returned as associate head coach to assist. Barnett confirmed MSU’s all-time winningest coach will have a headset on Saturday against the Huskies (5 p.m., streaming only on Peacock).

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But on Tuesday, a week after he spoke to the media as the Spartans’ secondary assistant, Barnett climbed the stage to the podium for the first time as their primary coach.

“That's always been a goal of mine,” said Barnett, who spent 14 seasons as a Dantonio assistant (2004-06 at Cincinnati and 2007-17 at MSU). “I'm a Spartan through and through. And anybody who knows me knows that I am a Spartan, they will tell you, ‘That dude is green all day.’ So I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to be the head coach here. Again, not liking the circumstances. I think the players, I connect with those guys in a good way.”

Barnett said he never spoke with Haller about being an emergency coach in case something happened with Tucker. The 51-year-old Tucker was rumored to have interest from LSU during the 2021 season before signing a 10-year, $95 million contract extension in November that year.

“I'm always processing information, processing situations,” Haller said Sunday about the decision to promote Barnett and bring back Dantonio. “I can't tell you that I thought of this yesterday, today or even a couple of days ago. I'm always thinking. These are contingency things that I think about with all of our programs and a lot of different situations. So it's been an ongoing process for me.”

Haller said he learned about the investigation into Tucker by MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity in December 2022 but did not know the specifics that ultimately led to the suspension until a USA TODAY article published early Sunday morning. That story detailed the allegations that Tucker masturbated on a phone call in April 2022 with prominent national sexual assault victims’ rights advocate Brenda Tracy. Tracy said was nonconsensual; Tucker admitted to the act but has asserted it was consensual.

MORE ON TITLE IX: Mel Tucker says he's not facing a Title IX complaint. Here's the university's process.

The Spartans, after improving to 2-0 by beating Richmond on Saturday, were looking for new leadership 24 hours later. Barnett’s time had arrived, regardless of how it came to fruition.

On Tuesday, he flashed back to a conversation he and Haller had at Dantonio’s daughter Kristen’s wedding reception in the summer of 2019, when Barnett returned to Michigan for from Florida.

“I had talked to Alan — this is some years ago now we're talking about, not recently — about, ‘Hey man, I want to be a head coach.’ And he knew that,” Barnett recalled. “He knew that was part of my plan, to become a head coach someday.”

Barnett, a 56-year-old Cincinnati native, played under George Perles from 1985-89 before spending seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL (including two years in Cleveland with Bill Belichick as his head coach and Barnett’s former defensive coordinator at MSU, Nick Saban, running the Browns’ defense). When his playing days were over, Barnett served as the sideline reporter for Spartan football radio broadcasts for two seasons and returned to his hometown to coach high school football for five seasons.

That’s when Saban brought him to LSU as a graduate assistant in 2003, then Dantonio gave Barnett his first full-time job at Cincinnati in 2004. Dantonio got the top job at MSU in late 2006 and brought Barnett along with him as his defensive backs coach.

“Nick and Belichick, and then Coach D — all along the line — those guys were on attention to detail and discipline big-time,” Barnett said. “And it's kind of how my father was. He never was my coach, but he was very, very disciplined. Very disciplined. And so when I got with those guys, it was like, 'This what I'm used to.' ...

“So I've been blessed to be able to be under such great coaches. I mean, those two guys (Saban and Belichick) are considered the best to do it in college and pros arguably.”

MORE: Brenda Tracy statement on Mel Tucker accusation: 'Outside party' leaked her identity

And Dantonio arguably is the best to do it at MSU.

The 67-year-old surpassed Duffy Daugherty in 2019 as the Spartans’ all-time winningest coach at 114-57 before his sudden retirement Feb. 4, 2020, following 13 seasons. Barnett was his co-defensive coordinator with Mike Tressel from 2015-17 after Pat Narduzzi left to become head coach at Pitt. Dantonio won all three of his Big Ten titles — including the 2013 Rose Bowl — and made the College Football Playoff in 2015 with Barnett on his staff. Barnett left for Florida State for two years, serving as defensive coordinator under Willie Taggart in 2018 and ’19 — before Tucker hired him to return to MSU.

Now, it’s Barnett who will be in charge, with Dantonio as his consigliere and confidante.

“Coach D brings the calming presence, the wisdom, the knowledge of being a head coach — a very successful head coach at that. And so he's bringing all that as our associate head coach. Any and all ways, he's willing to help with us, and that's what he's gonna do. So he's helping you in all aspects of the operation. ...

“I'm glad he's here. Love me some Coach D, man.”

Barnett said he and Dantonio are working on implementing some changes but did not specify what they might be or whether those are coming on or off the field. He also gave a chuckle when asked about injuries, saying he’d take a “Belichickian” approach — he labeled linebacker Jacoby Windmon and running backs Jalen Berger and Jaren Mangham “day-to-day” while flashing a grin.

“A lot of stuff is gonna stay the same,” Barnett said. “Tough, discipline, selfless, do your job — those are things that are staples of Michigan State football, since I've been a Spartan since 1985.”

RECRUITING: MSU commit Nick Marsh keeping a close eye on Mel Tucker situation

Barnett plans to meet individually with every player on MSU's roster this week. He started with 27 of the veterans Monday and hoped to hold 20 or more meetings Tuesday and continue as the Spartans prepare to face Michael Penix Jr. and 2-0 Washington.

“It was almost like they had a scripted answer, which fired me up,” Barnett said. “Because when we were out at practice, these guys, they're moving on. They're young people, they're resilient. They're going, and they were confirming that with what I saw it practice. ‘Coach, we know what it is. We're gonna keep moving. We're gonna keep fighting. We're mission focused. Let's go.’”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Harlon Barnett has always wanted to be Michigan State head coach