Michigan State football's Simeon Barrow enters transfer portal for 2nd time in 6 months
Simeon Barrow is once again looking to move on from Michigan State football.
The fifth-year senior defensive tackle entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday for the second time in six months, a team spokesman confirmed to the Free Press. Barrow initially submitted his name to transfer in late October after Mel Tucker’s firing but quickly withdrew it and returned to the team two days later, playing in the Spartans’ loss at Minnesota that Saturday and finishing out their 4-8 season.
The oft-injured Barrow was at practice Tuesday but was not in pads, working instead with trainers away from MSU's defense.
The 6-foot-3, 296-pound native of Grovetown, Georgia, earned All-Big Ten honorable mention last season and finished with 36 tackles, including 5.5 for lost yardage and 3.5 of those for sacks. He also had seven QB hurries from his interior line spot, forcing a fumble and blocking two kicks.
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Originally a Mark Dantonio recruit, Barrow sat out his true freshman year in 2020 during the pandemic but then started 30 of his 34 career games. Should he decide to leave this time, he would finish his MSU career with 110 tackles, of which 18.5 were for a loss. His 10.5 sacks rank 24th on MSU's all-time list, while the 92 yards lost on those sacks rank 15th.
MSU returns fellow starting defensive tackle Maverick Hansen for his sixth season, along with fourth-year junior Derrick Harmon. New coach Jonathan Smith added two sixth-year senior graduate transfers at the position during the winter in Quindarius Dunnigan from Middle Tennessee State and D'Quan Douse from Georgia Tech.
“I do think at the line of scrimmage defensively, it can be a strength for us, that front seven on that side,” Smith sad Tuesday. “That stands out to me.”
Barrow is the third Spartan from the spring roster and fifth player from the 2023 team to enter the portal since it opened Tuesday, along with third-year sophomore offensive lineman Braden Miller and redshirt freshman cornerback Eddie Pleasant III. Two others, fourth-year junior linebacker Ma'a Gaoteote and redshirt freshman running back Jaelon Barbarin, entered the portal this week but were not on MSU's spring roster.
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The Spartans practice Thursday morning, then wrap up their 15 allotted spring workouts with a public "showcase" Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Gates open at 12:30 p.m., with two hours of football action beginning at 2 p.m. It will be aired on BTN on tape delay starting at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football's Simeon Barrow enters transfer portal again
