Interesting update to Simeon Barrow's recruitment

Michigan State's interim head coach Harlon Barnett, left, pats Simeon Barrow Jr. on the helmet during the first quarter in the game against Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Michigan State's interim head coach Harlon Barnett, left, pats Simeon Barrow Jr. on the helmet during the first quarter in the game against Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA
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Michigan State football has seen a lot of turnover in their roster this offseason. They are one of the programs that have seen the most players enter the transfer portal, however, a lot of those players I would argue weren't that big of a loss.

However, Michigan State still saw a fair amount of their impact players enter the portal that were big losses. One of those big losses was Simeon Barrow Jr.

Barrow was a key member of the Michigan State defensive line who was in line to not only be a starter this season, but one of the best players on the team. He however entered the transfer portal towards the end of the cycle and announced his commitment to Miami on May 3.

His commitment to Miami is now reportedly up in the air, according to Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.

The above post doesn't go into specifics about what the reason is, but if you are a subscriber to 247Sports then the above article will be available for you to read. But there's really only one option in my mind that could be causing some issues.

NIL.

It's no secret that Barrow's only motivation for transferring was to make as much money as possible from NIL. That's why it was no surprise to see him go to Miami, a school known for handing out unreal amounts of NIL money. So my guess is that there are issues with the NIL money promised to Barrow when he committed to Miami.

Maybe Miami is wanting to pay him less now or maybe Barrow is requesting more money, but my guess is these issues are stemming from NIL.

If his commitment to Miami ends up falling through, I really hope Michigan State doesn't pursue Barrow. Sure he is a great player, but the way he has handled his recruitment is a major turnoff to me. Thankfully it seems like Jonathan Smith agrees, so for now we can just watch this recruitment unfold from a distance knowing it has no impact on MSU anymore.