It's been a long road for Michigan State redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren.

After playing in just four games and redshirting as a true freshman in 2022, he missed the entire 2023 season with a leg injury. He then missed spring practices in March and April. However, last Friday night to open the 2024 season, VanSumeren not only returned to the field, but he earned his first career start and played 30 snaps in MSU's 16-10 victory over Florida Atlantic.

In 2023, about a week before the first game of that season, VanSumeren suffered a major lower body injury and then had a long rehab process from there. He credits Michigan State head football athletic trainer Rod Scott and the staff for taking care of his body and getting him healthy.

VanSumeren is happy to be back on the gridiron, but despite a strong effort from Michigan State's defense to open the new campaign, he knows the Spartans still have plenty to improve upon moving forward.

"It was a long recovery process," VanSumeren said. "That was great news to hear (that I was going to start), but we've got to keep working, we've still got a lot of room to improve. It was a grind (to get back on the field) that whole year (2023). Just sitting out and having to watch my teammates (play) last year was really tough on me, but I had a lot of people in my corner. I'm super thankful for Rod Scott, he's our head athletic trainer, and everyone here that helped me get back healthy — all of the strength coaches and all of them."

Now healthy, VanSumeren is not taking his opportunity for granted. He wasn't surprised that he's gotten back to the point where he is at because of the people who helped him get there along the way.

"I'm just blessed to be in this position and to be able to go out there with my teammates, VanSumeren said. "(Getting injured) was tough, but it's just part of the game. It made me appreciate the game that much more, and it really just made me hungrier. Having something taken away from you that you love kind of turns you into a different beast, I feel like. So, at the end of the day, I'm thankful for it. I just relied on the people in my corner and my faith."

VanSumeren also praised the coaching of Michigan State defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi and discussed his system.

"Coach Rossi's a great coach, first and foremost," VanSumeren said. "He's been in the Big Ten. He's had top-10 defenses in the Big Ten year-in and year-out. It's (an) aggressive defense, and really, you just play fast, that's the main thing ... It's somewhat different (than what I've played in the past). At the end of the day, it just comes down to knowing your assignment, knowing what you have to do and executing."

VanSumeren has leaned on his older brother, Ben VanSumeren, for guidance both on and off the field. Ben played for the Spartans in 2021 and 2022 (both VanSumeren brothers were on MSU's roster in 2022) and now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.

"He's been a great resource for me," Alex said about Ben. "He's been a phenomenal role model for me, and I'm just fortunate to have him, to chase after what he's doing."

Michigan State's group of defensive tackles looks significantly different in 2024 than it did in 2023. The Spartans lost projected starters Simeon Barrow Jr. and Derrick Harmon to the transfer portal, among other departures. MSU then brought in several transfers of its own this offseason, including D’Quan Douse (Georgia Tech), Jalen Satchell (Old Dominion), Ru’Quan Buckley (Nebraska) and Ben Roberts (Oregon).

The young VanSumeren is quite confident in the Spartans' current defensive line.

"First off, the guys that we got in the room now, the whole D-line room, we got a lot of guys that can play in the D-line room," Alex said. "And not only are they talented players — we have a talented room — but they're great teammates as well. They're selfless, hardworking people and they're people that you want to go to war with, and that you want to be out there on the field with."

Of course, the redshirt sophomore defensive tackle had a chance to enter the transfer portal himself and start anew following the coaching change in 2023 after Mel Tucker was fired and Jonathan Smith was hired, but he had no plans to do that. Playing at Michigan State means a lot to him.

"I'm from Michigan," Alex said. "I'm a Spartan Dawg. It means something to me to be a Spartan. It just means grit, it just means toughness, and I love this place."

Alex recorded three tackles (two solo), a tackle for loss and a sack against the Owls. He said he was happy with his performance on Friday and was pleased with the way the Spartans battled some adversity and defeated the Owls. At the same time, he acknowledges that the team still has a lot of things it needs to improve on, and that MSU is looking forward to showing that progress on Saturday at Maryland.

Michigan State rotated in a lot of defensive linemen against Florida Atlantic — particularly in the interior — which the young VanSumeren believes is helpful. He mentioned that the linebackers and defensive backs also have a lot of players who can sub in, which allows the Spartans to stay fresh.

It was actually Douse who scored the first points of the 2024 season — he recorded a safety after tackling FAU quarterback Cam Fancher in the end zone in the first quarter of Friday's game. Alex said he was happy for Douse, who he called a "great dude." It also motivates the defense to repeat the performance.

"Any time you score on defense, it's something that you should be proud of," Alex said. "And it just makes you want to do it again."

Alex credited some of his other former teammates that helped him in his career when he was younger, such as former Spartan defensive tackle Jacob Slade. He also noted that just maturing and learning the college game better has been pivotal for his development.

While the younger VanSumeren worked his way onto the field as a true freshman, the plan for him was always to redshirt after he hit the four-game allotment. So, although he did not see the field for the rest of the 2022 season after that, it was not related to his health.

Still, he was ready to perform and contribute as a true freshman. Now as a redshirt sophomore, VanSumeren steps into an even larger role and is up to the task.

"My freshman year, I kind of knew I was going to be in that position (to play)," Alex said. "Whenever they call upon you, you have to be ready, whether you expect it or not."

Michigan State travels to College Park on Saturday to take on Maryland at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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