Former Michigan State football player and assistant athletic director Darien Harris has been hired by the New York Giants as the director of player engagement.
Sources told Spartans Illustrated about Harris' impending departure earlier in the month of May, but asked for the news to be kept quiet. Sources also told Spartans Illustrated that Harris began his new role with the Giants during the week of Memorial Day (May 26).
Harris' name appeared on New York's website under the "football operations" staff on May 28.
Harris most recently worked as MSU's assistant AD/business development and NIL strategy. He earned that title in May of 2024.
Prior to that, Harris served as assistant AD/NIL and special advisor to the athletic director, a role he was promoted to under then-athletic director Alan Haller in July of 2023.
Before that, Harris spent three-plus seasons with the Michigan State football program, first as director of player engagement and later as director of player relations and program advancement.
During his tenure in Michigan State's athletic department, Harris played a large role in MSU's award-winning EverGreen NIL (name, image and likeness) program. According to Harris' MSU Athletics bio, he focused on "engagement with local and statewide businesses, collaborating with national brands, collaborating with the Multicultural Business Program (Eli Broad College of Business) NIL Business Teams, and aiding student-athletes in developing brand identity strategies to enhance their presence across various social media platforms."
He also served as the primary NIL contact for internal and external stakeholders, such as student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors, corporate partners, collectives and local businesses.
Prior to making the move into the athletic department, Harris worked on the Michigan State football staff under then-head coach Mel Tucker from February 2020 through June of 2023. He joined the program as director of player engagement before earning the new title of director of player relations and program advancement in 2022. His roles with the football team included player development, alumni engagement, university outreach, community service and NIL education to the student-athletes, among other duties.
As a player for the MSU football program, Harris was a captain on the 2015 Big Ten Football Championship team that reached the College Football Playoff. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Spartans from 2011 through 2015 under then-head coach Mark Dantonio. Harris started two seasons at the "Star" (weak-side) linebacker position, and was a part of the winningest senior class in MSU program history with 43 victories.
In 54 career games played, including 25 starts, Harris compiled 154 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, a half-sack, one interception, five passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Michigan State parted ways with Haller in May and is currently in the process of searching for a new athletic director. Sources tell Spartans Illustrated that Harris' move to New York is unrelated to Haller's departure and that the Giants approached Harris about the role. This was a career-advancing step for Harris, and simply an opportunity he could not pass up. For perspective, sources close to the situation tell Spartans Illustrated that Harris would have taken this job with the Giants even if Michigan State football was coming off of a national championship.
Interestingly, Brian Daboll, the current head coach of the New York Giants, worked as a graduate assistant for Michigan State in 1998 and 1999 under head coach Nick Saban. During those two seasons, Dantonio was also on staff as MSU's defensive backs coach.
Harris and his wife, Olivia, are also in the process of opening a Pilates studio, Recharged Pilates, in East Lansing this weekend.
Harris graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2015, and received his master’s degree in marketing research in 2019.
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