Harris Joins Duke as Defensive Ends Coach

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke head football coach Manny Diaz announced Tuesday that Trent Harris will join the Blue Devil gridiron program and serve as an assistant coach. Harris will mentor the Blue Devil defensive ends.

A former defensive end under Diaz at the University of Miami, Harris has coached outside linebackers at Illinois the last two years, helping the Fighting Illini to 19 wins, the program's most in a two-year span. Harris assisted as Illinois captured six ranked wins, including victories against No. 14 South Carolina in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and No. 23 Tennessee in the 2025 Music City Bowl.

In 2025, Harris coached All-Big Ten First Team selection Gabe Jacas to his best season in Champaign. Jacas led the Big Ten in sacks (11.0) during the regular season and ranked second in forced fumbles (3) and fourth in sack yards (60).

Harris helped the defense have its best game of the 2025 season in the team's Music City Bowl victory over Tennessee, holding the Volunteers' offense, which ranked fourth in the nation in yards per game, to a season-low 278 total yards. Illinois limited Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar to a career-low 121 passing yards, 53 fewer than any other game in his career, and snapped his streak of 36 straight games throwing for more than 200 yards.

Harris spent the 2024 season as the Illini's assistant outside linebackers coach, helping Illinois to one of its best seasons in program history. The Fighting Illini finished the season 10-3, tying the program's wins record. Harris, who took over leadership of the outside linebackers room for the final four games of 2024, helped guide one of the most productive outside linebacker groups in the Big Ten. The room included Phil Steele All-America Jacas, who finished the regular season in the top 25 nationally in forced fumbles (10th; 3) and sacks (23rd; 8.0). One of the most impressive games of Jacas' career came under Harris' guidance in the Citrus Bowl, as Jacas consistently disrupted the highly touted Gamecocks offense and totaled eight tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss in the win.

Harris joined Illinois following a seven-year professional career in the NFL (2018-22), XFL (2023) and UFL (2024).

During his playing career under Diaz at Miami from 2014-17, Harris helped lead the Hurricanes to an improved win total and a bowl game each season, culminating in a 10-3 campaign and a berth in the Orange Bowl as a senior in 2017. That season, he was named to the All-ACC Third Team after recording 37 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 8.5 sacks. Harris finished his collegiate career with 126 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, three passes defended, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

Following his collegiate career, Harris signed a free agent contract with the New England Patriots and was a member of the team's practice squad during the organization's Super Bowl LIII winning season in 2018.

In 2019, Harris returned to South Florida, where he played 11 games with three starts for the Miami Dolphins. He spent the next two seasons with the New York Giants. Harris played in four games each in 2020 and 2021, making two starts in the initial campaign. He spent parts of the 2022 season with the Baltimore Ravens during training camp and on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad.

In 2023, Harris earned All-XFL honors for the Houston Roughnecks after leading the league with 9.5 sacks, while tallying 30 total tackles and 12.0 tackles for loss. In 2024, Harris was drafted by the UFL's DC Defenders where he played his final professional season before announcing his retirement in June.

Harris graduated from Miami in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in public relations. He and his wife, Abriana, married in 2021.

THE TRENT HARRIS FILE
Hometown: Winter Park, Fla.
Education: Miami, 2018 (Public Relations)
Wife: Abriana Harris

HARRIS' COACHING CAREER

2026-pres. – Duke (Defensive Ends)
2025 – Illinois (Outside Linebackers)
2024 – Illinois (Assistant Outside Linebackers)

To stay up to date with Blue Devils football, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeFootball".

#GoDuke

Harris Joins Duke as Defensive Ends Coach

Related News

Related Videos

Duke information