Reports: Oklahoma DB/LB Will Enter the Transfer Portal

Justin Harrington’s relationship with Oklahoma has been complicated.

On Friday, it apparently ended.

According to a report from On3 and SoonerScoop, Harrington intends to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. The report was later confirmed by OU Insider and SI Sooners.

Harrington, a seventh-year senior from Raleigh, NC, and a former junior college All-American, has spent most of the last 4 1/2 seasons at OU playing different positions for different coordinators and different position coaches.

Now the 6-foot-3, 219-pound Harrington will have a chance to finish his college career somewhere else.

Harrington is the fourth Sooner — and third linebacker — to enter the portal this spring, but the first who had played significant time in his career and had been rrealistically hoping for a productive 2024. The other departures this spring so far are linebacker Shane Whitter, linebacker Reed DeQuaise and tight end Hayden Bray. DeQuaise and Bray were walk-ons.

Harrington came to Norman in 2020 under Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch and was initially in the mix to play safety, where he was a juco All-American at Bakersfield College in California and made inroads during spring practice. 

But that same spring, the OU medical staff found he had suffered a significant knee injury in junior college. He spent that season in redshirt as he rehabbed the injury.

In 2021, Harrington played both safety and corner in spring practice, and got into games at both positions during the fall — but only played in four games before entering the transfer portal.

When Brent Venables arrived ahead of the 2022 season, Harrington negotiated with Venables to return to the roster, but as a walk-on. He shifted from safety to Venables’ “cheetah” linebacker position, played in 13 games in 2022 and made a career-high 23 tackles with one interception and two passes defensed.

In 2023, Harrington was getting more playing time when he suffered an season-ending injury in just the second game of the season.

Harrington’s seventh and final season was in limbo until earlier this spring when the NCAA granted him an additional year of eligibility — a medical hardship — due to his multiple injuries.

In 2022, Harrington expressed gratitude toward Venables for the opportunity to return, and Venables described his appreciation toward Harrington for a willingness to do whatever it took to get back.

“Well, I asked him to come back with humility and expecting nothing and to be about the work,” Venables said. “That's the way that I encouraged him to earn the trust and respect of his teammates. And he's done that. You know, he's over-delivered in that regard.”

Harrington said the meeting with Venables was “100 percent” humbling.

“I would say it was a real selfless moment,” Harrington said. “I would say it was the least prideful. I had to put all my pride to the side. I felt like football is not who I am, but it is what I do. And I feel like this is what I want to do for a long time. So, for me to want to come back here — and of course there's a lot of coaches calling from other universities. Again, you really can't choose anywhere else if this is the type of football you play. This is the type of people that you want to surround yourself (with). You can't really find that around.”

“It really wasn't about football,” Harrington said. “I felt like he was trying to find out who I was as a person. One thing that he said to me was — not that I'm that young, I'm 22 — but, you know, you still make impulsive decisions. And that's kind of what we talked about — making impulsive decisions and people just deserving and grace and a second chance.

“I feel like it was more so taking advantage of an opportunity. It was seizing the moment,” Harrington said. “We talk about seizing the moment, staying in the moment. Once I got the opportunity, I ran out here with a breath of fresh air. I felt like a 5-year-old. I love being out here every day. I love being in the locker room again every day.”

The spring transfer portal opened on April 16.

The Sooners play their annual spring game on Saturday in a planned 2:30 p.m. start.