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BREAKING: Legacy Linebacker Withdraws From Transfer Portal, Returning To MSU

It would have been weird to see him in a different uniform...

Matthew Lounsberry

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The transfer portal has been unkind to Michigan State football early this offseason, but the Spartans received some good news on Wednesday evening.

Redshirt junior linebacker Darius Snow, the son of Michigan State men's basketball alum Eric Snow and nephew of former Spartan All-American linebacker Percy Snow, announced via social media that he was withdrawing his name from the transfer portal and will continue his career at MSU under new head coach Jonathan Smith. Snow has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

In his lengthy post on social media, Snow describes the struggles he's faced since suffering a season-ending and potentially career-defining injury in the Spartans' 2022 opener against Western Michigan. The injury to Snow's right leg was severe enough for him to sidelined for over a year. Even when the redshirt junior returned this past season, he did so with a heavy brace on the leg while only appearing in four games.

Snow did not detail his reasons for entering the transfer portal, but said he did so "before giving Coach Smith and Co. the chance they deserve."

Snow received a medical redshirt after missing the 2022 season almost entirely, and benefits from the free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that, Snow will have two seasons of eligibility left while a coaching change occurs in East Lansing.

"I'm proud to say that I've now completely recovered from the injuries that have plagued my career to this point, and I look forward to building on the work that was put in to get to where I am today," Snow wrote. "I can't speak to what the future holds, but I can guarantee that I will attack it head-first as I always have."

Snow had a highly productive sophomore season playing safety and nickelback, recording 87 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, an interceptions, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 2021. Playing limited snaps in his other three collegiate seasons, due to inexperience as a freshman and injuries as an upperclassmen, Snow totaled just 11 tackles in three years.

Other Transfer News

After Snow withdrew his name, Michigan State has now lost 18 players off last season's roster to the transfer portal. On Wednesday, two of those players committed to other programs.

Long snapper Hank Pepper has committed to future Big Ten opponent Southern California, while offensive tackle Spencer Brown announced his commitment to Oklahoma. For a complete, updated look at our Michigan State transfer portal tracker click here.

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Matthew Lounsberry
MATTHEW LOUNSBERRY

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