Illinois tight end Daniel Barker transfers to Michigan State

Michigan State is back to getting a transfer portal win for the second day in a row.

One day after landing coveted running back Jarek Broussard out of Colorado, Mel Tucker and company have nabbed tight end Daniel Barker from Illinois.

The former four-year Illini star announced his commitment to the Spartans on Twitter after visiting with a slew of transfer and high school prospects over the weekend.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound product leaves Illinois as the record-holder for tight end touchdowns, reeling in 11 touchdowns throughout his career. He’s also known as a stout downfield run blocker as well, which is a combination of skill that had him contemplating the NFL Draft before announcing his decision to withdraw two weeks ago.

Barker caught 18 passes for 202 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and four touchdowns during the 2021 season. He finished his career with the Illini with 64 catches for 827 yards (12.9 yards per catch) and the aforementioned 11 touchdowns.

The tight end room is now in as good of a spot as it has been in the last few years. With veteran Tyler Hunt possibly returning for a sixth season and with budding youngster Maliq Carr coming into his own at the end of last season, MSU now has three guys it can go to with the addition of Barker.

Keep up with all of Michigan State’s transfer portal activity by reading The Only Colors’ transfer portal tracker article.