Former Northwood football standout Brendan Harrington was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 watchlist ahead of the 2024 college football season.
East-West Shrine Bowl scouts put together a list of the 1,000 best players eligible for the all-star game and the 2025 NFL Draft across all levels of college football. Harrington, a redshirt senior outside linebacker at App State, made the list for the second time in his career after being named to the all-star game watchlist before the 2022 season.
He was one of four Mountaineers selected for the watchlist, joining receiver Kaedin Robinson, quarterback Joey Aguilar and tight end Eli Wilson.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, Harrington is entering his sixth college season after missing most of 2023 and 2022 due to consecutive season-ending injuries.
He made an immediate impact at App State, playing in 11 games as a true freshman in 2019, but he blossomed into a starter the next year. In 2020, Harrington was a key contributor on the Mountaineers’ defense, recording a career-high 48 tackles, four interceptions (tied for third in the Sun Belt) and four tackles for loss.
“He’s one of the most productive players on our football team as far as stops, interceptions, tackles for loss, sacks,” App State head coach Shawn Clark said in 2020. “He’s all the right things.”
Harrington’s career took a pause after suffering a season-ending injury in App State’s 2022 opener against UNC. He returned and started in the Mountaineers’ first two games in 2023, but in the second game of the season against North Carolina, he suffered another season-ending injury in his knee.
Before college, Harrington participated in football, basketball and track at Northwood, and on the football field, he was a playmaker on both sides of the ball. Harrington, an all-conference linebacker and running back, recorded 64 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and one interception while also putting up 840 rushing yards, 322 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns (16 rushing, two receiving) as a senior.
Throughout his high school career, Harrington earned all-conference honors three times and was a two-time all-region selection. In his junior season, Harrington also played defensive back, grabbing four interceptions.
Harrington initially committed to North Carolina after receiving an offer from the Tar Heels before his senior season. But after former UNC head coach Larry Fedora was fired, Harrington de-committed alongside other recruits in UNC’s 2019 class.
Now a veteran for the Mountaineers, Harrington is looking to bounce back and help lead the program to what would be its third Sun Belt Championship game appearance in four years.
App State hasn’t won the Sun Belt title game since 2019 and has lost in two appearances since (2021 and 2023).
Harrington and the Mountaineers will kick off the 2024 season at home against East Tennessee State on Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m.