Michigan State Football's Jalen Thompson Preparing for Important Second Spartan Season

Michigan State defensive lineman Jalen Thompson showed signs of what he could offer the Spartans in his freshman season, and now, it's time for him to take the next step.

Michigan State running back Jalen Berger runs against Akron defensive back Nate Thompson during the / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

A lot of the outside focus around Michigan State football has been on the transfers this offseason, but the team has plenty of returners who have the potential to reach a new level.

One of the most promising young returners is defensive lineman Jalen Thompson, who will begin his second season with the program this fall.

Thompson played in eight games last season, including starts in the final four games of the Spartans' 2023 campaign. He totaled 19 tackles, 4.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.

The soon-to-be sophomore will be looking to carry that end-of-season momentum into his 2024 season. Thompson already feels accustomed to the pace of the game.

"I feel like last year, I was more so thinking too much," Thompson told reporters after Michigan State's spring practice on Tuesday. "It was kind of like a little slower. So now that I got the pace of the game, I can play more fast.”

Thompson said playing fast entails learning the playbook.

“Knowing everything, knowing your assignments," he said. "Because when you know what you go to do before the play even starts, you know to do it. And whenever you anticipate certain things when it happened, you’re already ready for it to happen, so then, you can just use your counter, so on and so forth.”

New Spartans defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa has been impressed with what he has seen from Thompson so far and has high expectations for where he can take his game.

“I think Jalen is like an old soul, man," Suiaunoa said. "Just kind of the way he approaches everything, he’s really, really, mature, I mean, academically — everything he does is like elite as a person. And so, I think Jalen, just that approach has given him the opportunity to be a little bit ahead than some of the guys in his class.

"And then physical attributes. I mean, you don’t find too many freshmen that come in walking into a college building with a college body, college weight and obviously, the physicalness that he plays with. So, yeah, I mean, we’re super fired up that he’s here.

"We think we’re going to be super fired up about him moving forward. I think he’ll probably be a name that’s going to fly around this place for a long time.”

The Michigan State Spartan Football Spring Green and White Game (Spring Showcase) will be held at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation, Spartan Stadium, on April 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.

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