Indianapolis - When it came time for Mel Tucker to talk about players who looking good in his Michigan State program but weren’t among the three Spartan players asked to attend Big Ten Media Days this week, the head coach’s thoughts turned to the big man in the middle.

The middle of the defense, that is. Starting with senior defensive tackle Jacob Slade.

“Jacob Slade is a really good player,” Tucker said.

Slade (6-4, 315, Sr., Lewis Center, Ohio) was first-team All-Big Ten by Pro Football Focus last year, second team by the A.P., third team by media and honorable mention by the coaches.

That’s a wide variance of accolades, but Tucker says the player he refers to as “The Grim Sleeper” is worthy of the higher end of those awards.

“He is starting to get some traction in terms of notoriety,” Tucker said. “I know people are talking about him.

“He is very, very consistent. He is hard to move. He is more athletic than you think. He is a veteran player and he is tough.”

Slade, who has 19 career starts, led the Big Ten in QB pressures among interior defensive linemen last year, according to Pro Football Focus. And he had 40 tackles.

“He is the type of guy you want in the middle of your defense,” Tucker said. “You always want to be strong down the middle - defensive tackles, linebackers and safeties. He is like an anchor guy for us.

“He is maybe an underrated player but he is certainly a guy to keep an eye on.”