MSU's Jalen Thompson on Jonathan Smith: 'A man of his word' since arriving

Thanksgiving weekend in 2023 was a whirlwind for everyone involved with the Michigan State football program, but especially for defensive lineman Jalen Thompson.

On Black Friday, Thompson started just his fourth game as a Spartan in his hometown of Detroit at Ford Field against Penn State. Thompson was only a true freshman, still getting used to the pace of play at the college level.

Once Thompson got back on campus after the final game of last season, he started to hear the noise. Then, it was official just hours later – Jonathan Smith was the next head coach at Michigan State.

Smith had an intro meeting with Thompson and they talked about how Thompson fit in the team, what he could do for the Spartans and that he still wants Thompson in East Lansing.

“He sat down with everybody,” Thompson said about Smith. “So I feel like that really helped because now I get to know how he is as a person and he tells you his plan, his process. I mean, I would say Coach Smith has been a man of his word ever since he stepped in the door. Everything he said he was going to do, he’s done.”

Thompson noted that he feels like there is a new energy in the building with the new staff led by Smith. Part of that new energy is the emphasis on relationship building and trust. The players have had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with position coaches. There’s an open door policy if players want to talk to Smith. Also, the players have gotten to know other position coaches, not just their own.

“I feel like this year, everything is organized, under control,” Thompson said. “Everybody knows what they’re doing.”

In an age when players have more mobility than ever before, Thompson could have gone elsewhere and he would’ve been immediately eligible to play. However, he chose to give Smith an opportunity.

“I just feel like when Coach Smith came in, he had good reviews,” Thompson said. “Everybody said he (is) a good head coach and when he came in, I mean he sat down with all the guys, talking to us one-on-one, individually. And he just told us (to) just give him an opportunity and he came in trying to build trust. He did little activities with us and stuff like that and that really made me feel like ‘OK, I’m going to give him my opportunity.’”

Now that the Spartans' defense is led by defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi, there are some changes to the scheme. With those changes comes some install and adjustment.

“There’s a lot of stuff we gotta add,” Thompson said, just over three weeks into spring practice. “I mean, we still got more things to put in. We (are) still at the beginning. It’s a lot of little details we still have to fix, too.”

One of those differences in the scheme is the rush end position. It’s similar to an outside linebacker. Rush ends line up on the weak side of the field in a two-point stance (standing up). These rush ends are expected to rush the passer, but also be athletic enough to drop back in coverage.

“It’s kind of like a linebacker, but on the line (of scrimmage),” Thompson said. “We kind of are in the two-point (stance) now rather than last year when I was in three-point stance. It’s a lot different, but I kind of like it, to be honest.”

The rush ends have a separate position room than the rest of the defensive line, including the strong-side defensive end position, which Thompson said is more for the bigger guys in terms of weight.

The rush end room is made up of five guys: Thompson, Khris Bogle, Bai Jobe, Jay Coyne and James Schott. The small room allows the group — led by rush ends coach/co-special teams coordinator Chad Wilt — to learn faster and nail down the details.

Thompson played in eight games as a true freshman this past fall. As mentioned, he even started in four games. He is feeling a difference in his play after gaining that game experience.

“Just being more fast-paced,” Thompson said about the difference in his game from last season to now. “Like getting used to the pace of the (college) game. I feel like last year I was more so thinking too much. (Now), it’s kind of like a little slower, so now I got the pace of the game. I can play more fast.”

For Thompson, playing faster doesn’t just come with experience. He studies the game as well.

“Just being in the playbook, knowing everything, knowing your assignments," Thompson explained. “Because when you know what you've got to do before the play even starts, you know what to do, and whenever you anticipate certain things, when it happens, you’re already ready for it to happen.”

Thompson and the Spartans will wrap up spring ball with the Spring Showcase inside Spartan Stadium on Saturday, April 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

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