Michigan State starter withdraws from transfer portal, rejoins Spartans

After a brief stint in the NCAA transfer portal, Michigan State starting defensive tackle Simeon Barrow has withdrawn his name and will rejoin the Spartans ahead of this Saturday's road game at Minnesota.

On his weekly radio show, interim head coach Harlon Barnett confirmed that Barrow came into the coach's office on Thursday to inform Barnett he had withdrawn his name from the portal after entering on Tuesday. Barnett said the team has "welcomed [Barrow back] with open arms", and the redshirt junior will be traveling with the Spartans to Minneapolis.

"He's going to be with us," Barnett said. "That's a good thing. A lot of times people will say, 'Well, man, he quit on the team initially', and all that kind of stuff. But you got to understand what these young men are going through in this time, day and age of social media."

Barrow practiced with the team on Thursday. Barnett initially revealed on Monday that Barrow was considering the transfer portal, and the junior's decision came the next day. After consulting with his family again this week, Barrow ultimately decided that Michigan State was where he belonged.

"He said, 'I need to stay here where I started,'" Barnett said.  The interim coach asked the team before allowing Barrow back on the roster, but said everyone was in agreement on the junior's return.

"He's back there where he needs to be with the Spartans," Barnett said.

Barnett did touch on two other topics on the radio show. First, the interim coach confirmed that running back Jalen Berger had season-ending surgery after an injury the redshirt junior suffered last week against No. 2 Michigan. Barnett also said one player will not travel with the team to Minnesota, but would not identify the player or go into heavy detail of why he would be absent.

"There's a young man who won't be traveling with us this weekend because he's been late a couple of times and he understands that," Barnett said. "We have a great understanding so it's good."

Barnett's disciplinary decision comes after the interim coach warned on Monday that he would be expecting more out of players this week in the aftermath of a 49-0 loss to the Wolverines last weekend. Following that game, Barnett said because of all the added stress the players had experienced in the wake of head coach Mel Tucker's ousting, he didn't want to push them too hard. However, Barnett said things like tardiness and slippage off-the-field responsibilities or academic performance would not be tolerated.

"I tried to be forgiving early on because of the adversity this team faced," Barnett said. "We got them where we want them, so it's time to level up on our discipline every single day."

Spartan Nation's original report on Simeon Barrow's transfer portal entry can be read below:

Michigan State starter, team captain considering transfer portal entry

In all likelihood, Michigan State football is set to lose a team captain and one of its top defensive players for the remainder of the 2023 season.

On Monday, MSU interim head coach Harlon Barnett said he met with starting defensive tackle Simeon Barrow today and the redshirt junior is considering entering the NCAA transfer portal. While Barrow's name has not yet appeared in the transfer portal, Barnett said he does not expect the redshirt junior to travel with the team for the upcoming road game at Minnesota on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN).

"I think he may be gone," Barnett said of Barrow. "I think he's going to jump in personally and that's what it's going to be. I wish him nothing but the best."

Barnett said he and Barrow have had on-going discussions about this possibility in recent weeks, but did not want to go into detail on what those conversations were like.

"It wasn't like a big shock," Barnett said. "We've been having discussions with him over the last several weeks and he's been up front and honest with us the whole time."

Michigan State chooses team captains on a game-by-game basis, and Barrow has been one of the selections throughout the season for the Spartans. Through seven games this season, the redshirt junior has recorded 19 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Barrow has been a starter for Michigan State in each of the last three seasons. He started 10 games in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, missing three games due to injury. In 2022, he started 10 out of 12 games. For his career, Barrow has recorded 93 tackles, 15.5 for loss and 8.5 sacks across 28 career games as a Spartan. Barring approval of a waiver from the NCAA, he has one season on collegiate eligibility remaining.

If Barrow does indeed enter the transfer portal, he would be the third Michigan State player to leave the team since head coach Mel Tucker was fired on Sept. 27, and the fourth Spartan overall to depart. Previous players to leave the team since Tucker was fired include running back Jordon Simmons, long snapper Hank Pepper, defensive back Justin White. Cornerback Terry Roberts left the team prior to the start of the season.

By NCAA rule, the transfer portal opens to any players whose head coach has been fired or takes a new job. After Tucker's ousting, Michigan State players have until Oct. 26 to submit their names to the portal if they intend to do so. A new portal period will open at the conclusion of the season.

Michigan State began the year with a deep crop of defensive tackles to rotate, but that group has been thinned out due to injuries. Redshirt freshman Alex VanSumeren is out for the season, while graduate transfers Jarrett Jackson and Dre Butler have combined to appear in only four games this season. Barrow's departure would mean more snaps for the likes of redshirt sophomore Derrick Harmon, redshirt senior Maverick Hansen and Colorado transfer Jalen Sami. Defensive ends Tunmise Adeleye and Ken Talley could slide in and help the interior defensive line as well.

"We'll use what we have at our disposal," Barnett said. "They'll go in there and grind and fight and do whatever they need to do to help us succeed."

The Spartans have lost each of their last five games, including a 49-0 shellacking at the hands of in-state rival Michigan on Saturday — the worst home lost in the 100-year history of Spartan Stadium. MSU opened as an eight-point underdog in this upcoming weekend's game at Minnesota.

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