Oregon alum Derrick Harmon’s NFL journey kicked off with a whirlwind of emotion. One minute, he’s hearing his name called as the Steelers‘ first overall pick. A few hours later, he’s dealing with the loss of his mother, Tiffany Saine. Life came at him fast, like it usually does in football. Tiffany had suffered a stroke back in 2021 that left her partially paralyzed, but she never stopped fighting. And that fight? It shaped Harmon in ways no coach or playbook ever could.
“She kept going after brain surgery… so why can’t I keep going?” Derrick shared, reflecting on his mother’s health struggles. The 21-year-old hasn’t even made his NFL debut yet, but he’s already winning people’s hearts. And one of the reasons is just how humble Harmon is. The Steelers’ rookie never shies away from giving credit to everyone who’s shaped his life in some way. Recently, in an interview, Derrick opened up about a Michigan State senior who helped him during his college career. Enter Jacob Slade, the Steelers DT who was once Harmon’s teammate at Michigan State.
Derrick Harmon Credits Steelers Teammate In Preparing Him For NFL: ‘Taught Me How To Play’ #Steelers #NFL #Pittsburgh https://t.co/yBb447I36l
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) May 16, 2025
Talking about Slade, the 21-year-old admitted that it was he who molded him into the kind of player he is today. “It came from Jacob Slade. I came in as a freshman, he was my OG at the time, and he made sure all the guys were right ’cause he was the leader,” said Harmon. Jacob graced the gridiron with the Michigan State Spartans from 2018 to 2022. “He made sure we were all on track. He taught me how to play that college-level game, how to work out, how to do certain things at that level,” Harmon shared.
Harmon played three seasons with Michigan State before transferring to Oregon for his final year. As for Jacob Slade, he entered the 2023 NFL Draft but went undrafted. He later signed with the Arizona Cardinals and spent the entire season on their practice squad. In 2024, Slade signed a reserve/future contract with the Steelers. Now, Derrick Harmon will once again be reuniting with his Michigan State senior.
Derrick Harmon carries Michigan lessons to Pittsburgh
After Jacob Slade left Michigan, it was Harmon’s turn to shoulder the defense. “Once those older guys left, I ended up being the older guy in the room,” he shared. “I really just took what those guys taught me and passed it down to the younger guys who came behind me.” Safe to say, the DT did not disappoint. Derrick recorded 40 tackles in the 2023 season, including 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.
After the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal. Harmon originally chose Michigan because it was close to home, so he could stay near his mom. But when time came to transfer, Tiffany helped him make the tough call. “It was probably the hardest decision I had to make. I sat down with my mom, and we had a discussion, and she told me every decision I made up to this point was for her, and it’s time to make a decision for myself,” he shared.
After transferring to Oregon, Harmon started in all 14 games. Talking about leadership, the 21-year-old shared, “I did see it’s a lot of eyes on you. A lot of people look up to you, so you have to start doing what you preach,” he said. “Not saying I didn’t before, but you really have to show up and do the things that you’re telling other guys to do ’cause I don’t feel like nobody’s gonna listen to a guy that’s not doing something that you’re telling somebody else to do.“
Now that the NFL spotlight’s on, it’ll be fascinating to see how Derrick Harmon applies his college lessons. And whether these two Michigan teammates will share the gridiron once again.
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