Darien Harris: Molded Into A Leader
12/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Darien Harris stands in front of one of MSU's team buses at the Cotton Bowl, which features a photo of the senior captain linebacker.
By Nick Barnowski, MSU Athletic Communications
Growing up, Darien Harris' father used to tell him to hang around friends who were ahead of him in life so he could catch up to them.
Now at the age of 22, Harris' success is what everyone else is chasing.
The fifth-year senior linebacker is an integral part of why Michigan State won the 2015 Big Ten Championship and is playing Alabama on New Year's Eve in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic.
In August, Harris was named one of the team's three captains, joining Jack Allen and Shilique Calhoun. Growing up, his father, Alan, and his grandmother instilled leadership into his persona at a young age.
His grandmother would let him know that people would look up to him because he was the biggest and most athletic. His father would push him and instill positive values in his life early on.
Those virtues paid off for Harris, and being named captain by his teammates was an extremely humbling experience him, one he didn't see coming.
"It meant the world to me," said Harris, who last year was on MSU's 12-man leadership council. "I'm trying to be the best leader I can be and the best example I can be on and off the field for the younger guys. It drives me to make them proud each and every game."
It's safe to say that Harris has.
He ranks second on the team with a career-high 82 tackles (6.3 avg.) and also has a career-best 7.0 tackles for loss all while starting every game at Star linebacker. He's also a key reason why MSU ranks seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing defense heading into the Cotton Bowl.
Harris said the main difference between last season -- where he had 48 total tackles and an interception in 13 games -- and this season is knowing how to prepare for a game as a starter. Not only did he spent more time in the film room, but he learned how to study it smarter. And even though he wasn't named a captain yet, he worked on understanding his leadership role on an experienced MSU team.
"Last year it was stepping into my first year as a starter and things were a little bit different," said Harris, who was the No. 35-ranked outside linebacker on Rivals.com as a recruit. "This year, coming into my fifth year, as a captain and a second-year starter, I know what to do. I'm comfortable out there and seeing things I never saw last year. I did a lot of self-scouting, seeing what I can work on. I thought the offseason was really good."
It was on Harris to make the most of his offseason, but there were a few important people in his life who helped make sure he did just that.
His father, who played football at Virginia Tech in 1980s, is a personal trainer who introduced Harris to the weight room at the age of 12. His mother, Lisa, taught him the importance of academics and instilled a strong work ethic in him at a young age. Harris said his dad was at every game and every practice and didn't let him slack off, a habit that's helped him grind through the tough Big Ten schedule year after year.
"(My dad) said being average wasn't OK, being normal wasn't OK and being lazy wasn't OK," Harris remarked. "I took that to heart. He never forced me to play but he said if you were going to do it, you were going to do it to the best of your ability.
Darien Harris, talking with ESPN on Cotton Bowl media day, graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism last May and has interned with the Big Ten Network.
"My mom kicked in on the academics side and said you're going to do as much as possible and you're going to do your very best. I think just doing a lot of different things shaped me into a better football player and a better man."
With help from his dad, Harris has turned into a 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker who teammates say is probably the strongest person on the team. He can put up 450 pounds on the bench and 650 on squats.
"It helped me tremendously," Harris said about his dad's gym training. "The fire and the passion he has as a personal trainer, I try to bring that as much as I can into football. Coming in with that work ethic and that mindset, and understanding how to treat my body, was major in my development."
And with guidance from his mom, Harris graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in May and is currently pursuing a second degree.
Harris' relationship with his younger brother and only sibling, Jordan, also is one that has continually made a Spartan Stadium-sized impression on his life. The younger Harris is a senior in high school, a drama student and has a chance at being the valedictorian of his class. While Harris said their interests are on the opposite ends of the spectrum, his brother is the person he looks up to the most.
"(Jordan's) my inspiration each and every day and he means the world to me," Harris said. "He's the smartest kid I've ever seen and his work ethic is impeccable. His drive and passion is what I try to measure up to. We have a fantastic relationship and he's going to succeed far beyond what I've been able to do."
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Harris attended high school at DeMatha Catholic, a prestigious athletic and academic school in the state. It's known for its successful athletics programs, which have produced athletes such as Cyrus and Arie Kouandjio, who play in the NFL, and NBA players Victor Oladipo and Jerian Grant.
"Last year it was fun being able to be there, having 100-plus people there," he said of the MSU-Maryland game in College Park. "It was the same playing them here. We've always been so close and so tight. The Maryland brotherhood we have of Maryland athletes is really strong and really bonding. Getting to play against them has been a blessing."
Similar to his journey at MSU, Harris had to wait until his junior year to become a starter, but biding his time taught him valuable lessons about patience that proved valuable in East Lansing.
"It helped a lot," he said. "I wanted to play early, and if the opportunity didn't present itself, I was going to do anything I could to prepare as a starter until it was my time. Playing at a school like that where everybody is at your level helped a lot."
With a 43-10 record, three bowl wins (2012 Buffalo Wild Wings, 2014 Rose, 2015 Cotton), two Big Ten division titles (2013, 2015) and two Big Ten Championships (2013, 2015), Harris has undoubtedly helped carved out a legacy for the 2015 senior class.
"We've worked tremendously hard as a class since we got here in 2011," Harris said. "We knew this class was going to be special and knew we'd have a brotherhood that was going to go far beyond Michigan State."
