DARIEN HARRIS

So, Simmons was unsure what Mel Tucker’s message would be heading into the Michigan game. Michigan State beat Michigan, 27-23. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News ANN ARBOR NEWSANN ARBOR NEWS2015 in Ann ArborNo. Former Michigan State safety David Dowell had two picks and a fumble recovery in just his second career start. Michigan State entered Spartan Stadium for its traditional pregame walk of the field, but some Michigan players already were warming up.

Black History Month is coming to a close, and all month we have been highlighting inspiring stories, and there’s a story from the world of college sports you might not know about.

A spontaneous gift handed to the former Michigan State kicker at an unusual time from his former coach, Mark Dantonio. 5 Ohio State (9-1, 7-0) with first place in the East Division on the line. “Everything fell into place and we were marching.”With Ohio State pinned deep, Michigan State forced a three-and-out and took over near midfield with four minutes to play. The win is near the top for Harris because it was his senior year and last shot at Ohio State. Stroud face off in top-10 matchupReport: Michigan State, Mel Tucker closing in on 10-year, $95 million contract extensionChallenges abound for Michigan State vs. top-ranked Ohio State offense

Darien Harris returned to Michigan State with a concrete focus for his new job. Harris initially targeted player development, career networking and financial literacy as key topics and expected his role to evolve. “My overarching plan is to make sure that our student-athletes have a better experience at Michigan State than I did, and my experience was phenomenal,” he said. Players arriving, leavingHarris’ experiences at Michigan State ran the gamut. Michigan State had 10 midyear additions in January with six transfers and four early enrollees in the 2021 recruiting class.

Michigan State’s pro day last year was canceled due to COVID-19. One year later, Michigan State’s pro day is on and scheduled for March 24. However, the pro day was canceled five days before it was scheduled and Michigan State’s first spring practice under Tucker was also wiped out. That was shortly before the pandemic altered daily life and wiped out pro day, which can be critical for players to get a shot in the NFL. “I know how important pro day was for me.

The last time I put together a Michigan State football mailbag, it was mid-July. With plenty of unknowns for Michigan State under first-year head coach Mel Tucker, I put out a call for mailbag questions to subscribers of Spartan Confidential Subtext, a service from MLive that provides Michigan State football updates directly to your phone. He also already completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Michigan State and plans on pursuing a doctorate. – From (716)This is my fourth season as MLive’s Michigan State football beat writer and plenty of players were memorable interviews. Related Michigan State football stories:Michigan State’s Xavier Henderson returns with more confidence to lead secondaryMichigan State mulling position changes amid COVID-19 uncertaintyMichigan State moves from ‘pajamas’ to pads, starts to feel out new lineupMSU’s Julian Barnett ‘makes progress every single day’ in move from WR to CBJacub Panasiuk raises expectations for Michigan State DEs after opting back in