Michigan State starter, team captain considering transfer portal entry

Originally posted on FanNation Spartan Nation
By Matthew Lounsberry | Last updated 10/23/23

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. Barnett said he and Barrow have had on-going discussions about this possibility in recent weeks, so the move would not come as a surprise for the interim coach.

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.

"I wish him nothing but the best," Barnett said.

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 as a Spartan.

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.

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