Season 2 of The Player Development Pod continues to highlight those doing the work in this space. This week we are honored to have Darien Harris join the show.  

Darien is one of the best professionals in the player development space. Darien is a transcendent leader who understands the necessity of a holistic development of student-athletes. He is one of the many guests we will have who serves his alma mater.  

In this episode Ed Jones II sits down with Darien Harris, as he shares the intentional programming he provides for the players in the Michigan State Football Program. Get ready to learn from one of the impactful professionals in college football. Enjoy their conversation.   

Follow Darien Harris here: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DHarris_45 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSUOvertime 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dharris_45/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darienharris45/  

Darien's Blog for Beyond The Field: https://www.btfprogram.com/blog/full-circle-the-challenges-and-triumphs-of-developing-student-athletes-at-your-alma-mater  

Learn more about Darien here:   Darien Harris, a former Spartan captain on the 2015 Big Ten Championship team that reached the College Football Playoff, enters his third year on the Spartan football staff. He was named the program’s Director of Player Relations and Program Advancement in 2022 after spending the previous two years as the Director of Player Engagement.  

Harris’ wide-ranging role includes player development, alumni engagement, university outreach, community service, and NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) education to current football student-athletes. He has strengthened relationships between former Spartan players and the current coaching staff, developed new collaborative partnerships across campus, and actively sought out impactful community service initiatives for the program. One of the many campus connections Harris launched features a six-week training course with the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation that educates student-athletes on how to sharpen their entrepreneurial mindset, master business basics and learn the process of creating new ventures.  

Harris also serves as a mentor and role model for the current Spartan roster, supervising and coordinating the “Overtime” player development program with Lorenzo Guess.  Harris, 29, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2015 and his master’s degree in marketing research in 2019. 

He has extensive broadcast experience, serving as a frequent contributor on several radio and television shows, including the Big Ten Network. Harris was presented with the Rising Star Award at the 50th Celebration of the Michigan State Communication Arts and Sciences Alumni Awards ceremony in 2022. 

SAMPLE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CHECKLIST: https://www.btfprogram.com/btf-program-resources/p/player-development-checklist-sample  

Thank you for taking time to listen to today's episode. 

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