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Published Aug 13, 2023
MSU's Jalen Sami: Playing for Mel Tucker again was the 'right thing to do'
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Brendan Moore  •  Spartans Illustrated
Staff Writer
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@bmoorecfb

Sometimes, a change of scenery is needed. Michigan State defensive lineman Jalen Sami felt that it was just time to “move on” from Colorado, where he played his college football from 2018 through 2022.

He announced his intention to transfer to Michigan State in May and enrolled in the summer.

Sami brings a wealth of experience to East Lansing. While with the Buffaloes, he had nine different position coaches and four different head coaches. He started 32 games in his Colorado career and tallied 83 career tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

His relationship with head coach Mel Tucker ("Coach Tuck"), who was the head coach at Colorado in 2019, was part of the reason why he came to Michigan State.

“Just being able to come back here with Tuck was the right thing to do,” Sami said after practice last week. “It was a good fit for me.”

Sami said that MSU was one of the first schools to reach out to him once he entered the portal after Colorado’s spring practices concluded under first-year head coach Deion Sanders.

When Michigan State's personnel department first heard that Sami had entered the transfer portal, the staff was in a hurry to get in touch with him — quite literally.

"He's a great guy," Tucker said about Sami at Big Ten Media Days in July. "We were happy (to get him). When he hit the portal, there was literally some running in the hallway. Guys were running, trying to get it done."

Tucker describes Sami as a "big body," which he most certainly is at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, but was also sure to note that he is "athletic" as well.

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