Key Michigan State Competitions: Deeper DT contingent boasts Simeon Barrow at forefront
East Lansing, Mich. – The defensive tackle positions will stage some of the best competitions on the defensive side of the ball for Michigan State during preseason camp, with the net result expected to be a firm, physical defensive front for the Spartans this fall.
Simeon Barrow (6-3, 290, R-Jr., Grovetown, Ga.) is entrenched heading into his third year as a starter at defensive tackle. He was honorable mention All-Big Ten last year by coaches and media. He’s a horse.
Derrick Harmon (6-5, 320, R-Soph., Detroit Loyola) started five games last year when Jacob Slade was out with an injury. Harmon was better than solid last year and has a promising future. He’s a bull.
Maverick Hansen (6-4, 300, R-Sr., Farmington Hills, Mich.) has four career starts and averaged 31 snaps per game last year. He ranked fourth on the team in sacks and TFLs in 2021. He’s a Maverick.
All three are proven, solid defensive tackles, with Barrow and Harmon on the cusp of stardom.
Those three rotated with Slade last year to give Michigan State a strong four-man rotation.
When Slade was out, the Spartans tried true freshman Alex VanSumeren, but he wasn’t ready for extended action. That’s why Michigan State hit the portal for three defensive tackles during the off-season.
“We weren’t very big in the defensive line and we didn’t have a strong rotation,” said Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker. “We had to play guys a lot more snaps than we wanted to. We would go into games and have a three-defensive tackle rotation, which is not a winning formula for us.
“We were able to go out (in the portal) and add three 6-foot-5, 300-plus pound defensive tackles who have all played major college football. We were able to address some issues of need.”
Michigan State might have been ready to stand pat with Jarrett Jackson and Deandre Butler as the lone additions to the defensive tackle corps. Jackson and Butler were second-string defensive tackles at Florida State and Liberty last year. But when Jalen Sami became available from Colorado, Tucker and his staff – having coached Sami at Colorado in 2019 – made room for a third newcomer.
“When he hit the portal,” Tucker said, “I mean we were all … there literally was some running in the hallway, running to try to get it done.”
THE DT RESERVE PICTURE
Barrow averaged 44 snaps per game last year. He’s a terrific player, but he might become more of a playmaker if he is able to reduce that workload a bit this year.
That’s where Sami, Jackson and Butler come in.
Sami started 11 games as a redshirt-freshman that year. He was given the team’s Tyrone “Tiger” Bussey Award in 2019 for inspiration in the face of physical adversity.
That year, he played 411 snaps with 25 tackles including two TFLs, and one sack. He had the biggest special teams play of the year, as the last line of defense on the punt coverage unit, when he ran down and tackled Washington’s Aaron Fuller, saving what appeared to be a sure touchdown. Colorado held Washington on the next series and then ran the clock out on its next offensive possession, winning 20-14.
“He’s a big body,” Tucker said of Sami. “And he is athletic. He is a great guy and we’re happy to get him.”
Jackson and Butler did not play in the spring scrimmage.
Jackson had 12 tackles and one start at Florida State last year. He averaged 14 snaps per game for the Seminoles.
Butler (6-5, 300, Sr., Covington, Ga.) averaged 25 snaps per game for Liberty last year. He had five games with fewer than 20 snaps.
Butler played at Auburn in 2020 and 2021, with one career start at the FBS level.
INSIDE THE COMPETITION
Of the three newcomers, Sami is the best bet to get into the two-deep with Barrow, Harmon and Hansen.
Sami may have flashed athleticism on that punt coverage play against Washington in 2019, but he was more of an immovable stump type of a player for the Buffs last year in the their game against Minnesota, a game reviewed by SpartanMag.
In that game, Sami stood strong against Gopher double team blocks. However, Sami isn’t the type of player who defeats blocks and moves laterally well. He is sturdy, but not a guy that is going to get upfield quickly. He can play a two-gap technique with good force, but he’s not a player that is going to press the pocket on the pass rush.
However, the Spartans can use his maturity, size and snaps in fortifying what should be an excellent defensive tackle rotation.
As for VanSumeren, at 6-3, 300 (R-Fr., Bay City) he packs excellent quickness, which made him a standout at the t-shirt camps as a recruit. The question was how he would make the transition to playing against college-sized guys. Last year was step one of a process.
He played in the first four games of the season, logging 21 snaps, and tallied three tackles. Then he sat the rest of the year to preserve redshirt status. VanSumeren struggled against the brute force of college o-linemen last year.
In the spring scrimmage, VanSumeren showed some progress.
+ He looked good versus a combo block by Dallas Fincher and Kevin Wigenton, fought it off pretty well, and long-armed Wigenton while reading the play. It was the most sturdy SpartanMag had seen VanSumeren play in a Michigan State uniform.
+ He showed a pretty good bull rush, then got into a push-and-pull move against Wigenton during thud period. Good punch, press-off, then pulled Wigenton forward. Solid.
– He gave ground on a Geno VanDeMark/Spencer Brown double-team block on an inside zone (Jaden Mangham gained 9 yards).
Where is the competition? SpartanMag projects a VanSumeren vs. Jackson vs. Butler derby for the right to be the No. 5 defensive tackle. SpartanMag is expecting Jackson to get the call, but he needs to show he has the grit and durability to hang onto the job and make an impact. VanSumeren has the potential to overtake him.
As for the starting tandem, SpartanMag is projecting Barrow and Harmon as the starters. Hansen is a consummate team guy who has shown he can hold the fort when coming off the bench. He’s a fifth-year senior with two years of eligibility remaining and will be ready to start when called upon.
The post Key Michigan State Competitions: Deeper DT contingent boasts Simeon Barrow at forefront appeared first on On3.
