East Lansing, Mich. - The first time we took notice of Michigan State defensive tackle Simeon Barrow was in MSU’s annual spring game.

The 6-foot-2, 285-pound redshirt freshman, who has started all four games for the Spartans this season, was wreaking havoc along the defensive line for most of the afternoon in April.

But the question was whether Barrow, from Grovetown, Ga., would be able to translate that disruptive play into the regular season.

Especially after Barrow, who contracted COVID-19 last October and opted out of the remainder of the 2020 season, chose to return home to finish his fall semester, while continuing to train on his own.

“It was pretty difficult but I had to do what was best for me and my health,” Barrow said of his decision to return home last fall. “COVID was really bad that year I was just trying to keep myself healthy.

“When I was gone and I opted out last season, I was still working out with my family and working out every day, basically doing what the strength and conditioning people were telling me to do. So I came back right.”

Barrow didn’t return to campus until January of this year but the time away from his teammates and MSU’s facilities hasn’t seemed to stunt his growth at the position. He wasn’t behind when he returned for spring practice. In some ways, he felt ahead.

“I remember it being easier because at that time (I was at home) I was studying the playbook and it was going through my head quickly,” he said.

While he may not be playing at an All-Big Ten clip right now, Barrow, who ranks fifth among his teammates in tackles with 16 and is first among d-linemen in stops, is having an effect on the team’s success on defense.

He earned the team’s co-defensive player of the week against Northwestern with three tackles after playing 30 snaps and he added four more stops in another 30-plus play effort against Youngstown State.

He had just two tackles against Miami but the fact that he played 50 snaps against the Hurricanes proved his play was becoming more of a trusted commodity as part of the d-line rotation.

His growing value became more evident in last Saturday’s 23-20 overtime victory win over Nebraska when Barrow finished with a career-high seven tackles, while earning a half sack with 5th-year defensive end Jacub Panasiuk as the first half wound down.

He will enter Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. showdown with Western Kentucky at Spartan Stadium having posted five QB hurries in last week’s game against Nebraska, second-best on the team to Panasiuk.

Not bad for a young man dressed for just the first two games of last season’s seven-game schedule and missed a half season’s worth of practice.

“I didn’t expect to play a lot this year because of the reason of me opting out,’’ he said. “(So it’s just been about) playing every play like it’s your last play. I’ve just been focusing on working hard.”

MSU’s defense has amassed 30 tackles for loss, which has included 16 sacks, through the first four weekends of the season.

While Barrow’s numbers may not appear to be the ones of a dominate defensive lineman, his affect on the blocking patterns of the Spartans’ first four opponents has been noticeable since the start of the season.

His footwork, hand placement and initial burst off the snap have made him a threat despite his youth and inexperience.

If he isn’t the one making the tackle, he’s certainly doing his job in holding firm against single- and double-team blocking, leaving linebackers and safeties with angles to the ball.

“I feel like I’m playing great right now and the team is executing really well,’’ he said. “I feel like the season is going off really well and it’s what we expected as a team.’’

All of this despite performing with a heavily bandaged hand - an injury he shares with fellow linemate and frequent co-starter Jacob Slade .

“It’s been challenging but we’ve been trying to find out (a way) through with the club without using our hands,’’ Barrow said with a smile.

It’s working well so far. And his career at Michigan State is just getting started.