Darien Harris talks business development and NIL for Spartan athletes

MSU Today with Russ White

Darien Harris is Spartan Athletics’ assistant athletic director for business development and NIL strategy. He provides leadership for Michigan State Athletics’ award-winning NIL program, EverGreen.

Harris is expanding his role and focusing on engagement and collaboration with local and statewide businesses and national brands to help student-athletes develop brand identity strategies to enhance their presence across various social media platforms.

A 2015 Journalism graduate and graduate of Eli Broad College of Business' top ranked Master of Science in Marketing Research program in 2019, Darien has been a proud Spartan since 2011. As a four-year letter winner at linebacker for the Michigan State football team, Darien was a part of the winningest senior class in program history (43 wins), won two Big Ten titles, the 100th Rose Bowl, the 2015 Cotton Bowl and played in the 2015 College Football Playoffs

Harris talks about the evolving world of college athletics.

Conversation Highlights:

(1:23) – What attracted you to MSU, and were academics a part of your decision to be a Spartan?

(2:52) – How did your MSU experience – on the field and in the classroom - impact you?

(4:25) – Describe your role in Spartan Athletics.

(6:04) – What is NIL (name, image, and likeness)? What are the pros and cons?

(8:52) – What is EverGreen?

(11:22) – What is Spartan Nation NIL?

(13:40) – What are some facts about NIL you want to reinforce and some myths to dispel?

(16:25) – What’s ahead for the quickly evolving world of college athletics?

(20:09) – If you were the czar of college athletics, what are some things you would do?

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