East Lansing — It took a while for Michigan State defensive end Brandon Wright to accept the move from running back to his new position - two years, to be exact. That’s how long ago it was when former Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio initially suggested the idea.
Dantonio saw potential in Wright as a pass rusher that Wright did not see in himself at the time.
“He [Dantonio] thought that was the right spot for me,” Wright said. “I didn't really see it at first, but he said that I could really do it. I could get paid there, I could get to the next level. He thought I had a lot of potential at the defensive end spot.
“He brought me over, told me to test it out, see how I do. I did pretty well, but I didn't want to do it, so I kept trying to go back [to running back].”
Wright was a member of Dantonio’s second-to-last recruiting class, one that ranked 32nd in the nation by Rivals.com. After rushing for 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior at Euclid High School in Euclid, Ohio, Wright earned three-star status from Rivals.com. He was ranked first in the state and 41st in the nation at his position in the 2019 class, though he did play some defensive end in high school, too.
Crowded running back rooms during his first two years in East Lansing did not provide Wright with much playing time. He appeared in only 12 games throughout that time, rushing for a combined 61 yards on 24 carries.
Despite Wright’s attempts to stay at running back under Dantonio, he was convinced by current Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker and his staff to permanently make the switch. That was in the spring of 2021, a year into Tucker’s tenure.
“It did take some discussion. I didn’t want to do it right away because I came in as a tailback under Coach Dantonio,” Wright said. “But after talking to Darien [Harris, Director of Player Relations & Program Advancement], other players and my parents, I settled in very quickly.”
Wright totaled seven tackles and 2.5 sacks as a backup defensive end last season, his first at the position. He recorded a 14-yard sack and a forced fumble in Michigan State’s last regular-season game against Penn State. In the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh, Wright played a season-high 12 snaps on defense, recording four tackles and 1.5 sacks.
He heads into this season as one of the more rapidly-improving players in the program. That's a strange distinction for a senior. But Wright’s lengthy journey to become a defensive end is gaining some serious traction.
Wright’s strong finish to the 2021 season gave him confidence in his new role. He began to see what Dantonio’s staff saw in him as a freshman.
“I feel like it clicked for me, like I could really do it. It was very exciting playing in those two games,” Wright said. “I had fun doing it, and I had my boys hyping me up beside me. It became very real for me, like I could really do it and I could really take it to the next level.”
Wright found confidence in watching some of his teammates make position changes. Former running back-turned-tight end Connor Heyward was one such example. Now playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, Heyward set an example for Wright about the benefits of a change.
Heyward saw edge-rushing potential in Wright back when they practiced together as running backs.
“He [Heyward] would always pick on me and be like, ‘You're gonna have your hands in the dirt because of how big you are,’” Wright said. “But he was just as big as me so I was like, ‘OK, whatever.’”
Heading into the 2022 season, Wright and his coaches feel he is on his way to making a real impact on the edge.
“They [the Michigan State staff] said I could do it,” Wright said of his move to defensive end. “That's where I could get paid at, and really do it there. They see a lot of potential in me to get off the edge, rush.”
After spending a portion of the offseason training with pass rush coaches in California, Wright has worked with first-year Michigan State defensive line coach Marco Coleman and pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan throughout August camp.
“He has been learning the instinctive things,” Coleman said. “Each and every rep, he is growing more and more. He just continues to get more and more reps at the position and gets recall to be able to react faster.”
At 250 pounds, Wright is up roughly 30 strong pounds from last year. He says he feels the added strength when taking on blockers this year, in addition to new techniques and skills that Coleman and Jordan have taught him.
Meanwhile, he said his speed and vision from his days as a running back are contributing factors to his production as a pass-rusher.
“I can still play fast for sure. Get to the ball, chase down the quarterback. I'm gonna catch him every time,” Wright said.
When asked if he is the fastest defensive end in the conference?
“100 percent,” Wright said with a smile. “There’s nothing like hitting the QB, chasing him around, putting him on his back, celebrating and everything.”
Michigan State is going to need that mentality to hold up amongst a relatively unproven defensive end group in 2022. Junior Jeff Pietrowski and senior transfer Khris Bogle, from the University of Florida, project to start at defensive end, following the graduation of Jacub Panasiuk, Drew Beesley and Drew Jordan.
Wright, redshirt junior Michael Fletcher, redshirt sophomore Itayvion Brown, redshirt sophomore Avery Dunn and freshmen Zion Young and Chase Carter are tasked with jockeying for playing time behind them.
SpartanMag projects Pietrowski, Bogle and Wright as the top three in the playing group with Peitrowski a lock as a starter and Bogle the favorite to start at the other d-end position.
Wright finished last season with an expanding role, and his impact is likely to continue to expand early this season. Young, a true freshman, is a rising candidate to become an immediate contributor, possibly ahead of Fletcher.
The defensive end playing group rarely expanded past four players in the Tucker era with Ron Burton as defensive line coach. With Burton having been fired during the off-season, and Coleman entering the program as the new defensive line coach, the number of players in the d-end rotation isn’t expected to change much. But there will be contributions from an increasingly versatile linebacker room.
Linebacker Jacoby Windmon (6-2, 250) will see time as a stand-up defensive end, in passing situations. He played defensive end at UNLV as a sophomore in 2020.
“We don’t have much experience at the position,” Coleman said. “He (Windmon) has played at this level. He’s explosive. He’s a playmaker. He’s an older guy, strong. His biggest thing is experience, recall, recognition.”
Coleman said the Michigan State coaches are still evaluating how much time Windmon will get at linebacker, compared to defensive end. Wright’s success at the position could be a factor in that decision.
Linebackers Aaron Brulé and Ben VanSumeren could also get spot duty as stand-up defensive ends in some packages.
While it remains to be seen how Wright is able to build upon last season’s momentum and continue his transition into an established pass rusher, it’s clear he is already there from a mental standpoint.
“Now I’m talking smack to the tailbacks, saying ‘I'm gonna lay you out, put you on your back,’” Wright said.
Even so, there’s a piece of Wright that remains in the running back room. That part of him shines whenever Dantonio is around, like at practice last week.
“I love seeing him [Dantonio],” Wright said. “He recruited me to come up here, and everytime I see him I just get excited. I give him a big hug and everything and tell him what's going on in my life. Right now they got me doing kickoff return a little bit, so I told coach Dantonio, ‘I got the ball in my hand again.’”
And despite the time it took for Wright to accept the position change, his loyalty never wavered to Michigan State’s program - something old-school Dantonio could be proud of in a transfer-heavy era of college football.
“It never crossed my mind,” Wright said of transferring. “I really love the school, I love the people here, I love the coaches. I love all the players here. I love working with them and giving it my all and getting stronger. I just decided to hone in, focus, and get my work in. Wherever the team wants me at, that’s where I'm going to be.”