Meet Michigan State defensive tackle Jalen Sami
When former Colorado defensive tackle, Jalen Sami entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in April, it was an all-hands-on-deck moment for Michigan State recruiting personnel, as well as Spartan head coach Mel Tucker, who coached the 6-foot-6, 330-pound run-stuffer during his lone season in Boulder in 2019.
“He is a good player,” Tucker raved when asked about Sami last month during Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. “He is a big body, and he is athletic. He is a great guy. When he hit the portal, literally, there was some running in the hallway. Guys were running, trying to get it done.”
The hustle shown by Michigan State recruiters is more than justified according to Sami’s teammates, who are grateful to have him clogging up running lanes.
“Just look at Big Sami, he is 6-5, 330, and that’s all him,” said sophomore defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. “He is stopping that run, and he can pass-rush too. Don’t get it messed up, Big Sami can move, and that is kind of surprising because you don’t think that a dude that size can move like that. But he can move. He is stopping that run, and getting to that quarterback.”
Sami’s better-than-advertised athleticism was on display during his redshirt freshman season at Colorado in 2019. Tucker, who has head coach of the Buffs at that time, credits the former Colorado Springs (CO) Vista Ridge star with preserving a victory over Washington with a game-saving tackle on senior night.
“We had had a three-man shield punt team, big linemen as a shield in front of the punter,” Tucker recalled. “The punt returner broke through and he made an open-field tackle at 6-5, 300 and some pounds on a skill guy. I don’t know how he got this guy on the ground. I was like, ‘oh, my God,’ because if he doesn’t make that tackle, we are losing that game.”
That game-saving tackle was the loudest of the 96 reps Sami had as a redshirt freshman on a special teams unit coached by Ross Els, who currently serves as special teams coordinator at Michigan State.
“When I came on my visit, I asked coach Els if they were still doing that, and he said, ‘no, we left that,’ and I was like, ‘good,’ because it was tiring,” Sami said.
Punt shield duty was tiring because it represented a small fraction of the workload shouldered by Sami as an 11-game starter for Colorado in 2019. Without adequate depth at d-tackle, Sami played 411 reps as a starting defensive tackle as a redshirt freshman. He did so coming off knee injury that sidelined him in 2018.
Sami’s workload at Colorado didn’t get any lighter after his first year as a starter. In 40 career games at Colorado, including 32 starts, he logged 1520 snaps at defensive tackle, and an additional 235 snaps on special teams.
On a Michigan State defensive line that features three other established defensive tackles in Harmon (6-5, 320), Simeon Barrow (6-3, 290), and Maverick Hansen (6-4, 300), Sami has an abundance of capable tag-team partners on the interior defensive line. Beyond that quartet, the Spartans three additional 300-pound plus reserves in Dre Butler (6-5, 300), Jarrett Jackson (6-6, 300), and Alex Vansumeren (6-3, 300).
“I have never been in a room with that many d-linemen,” Sami said. “The room is full. There are no seats available beside the one for me. It was definitely a shock, but I am pretty excited. I can’t wait for the season.”
Having that many big-bodies on the interior d-line is welcomed by Sami, who hopes his days of playing 50 or even 60 defensive snaps in some games are behind him.
“You can’t play your best ball playing 60 snaps a game, even 50 snaps a game,” Sami said. “I feel like this season we could average 30 plays each, and that is 30 great plays instead of 50 plays of just trying to stay in and survive. Just doing your job as much as you can.”
Smooth transition at Michigan State
Given his size and experience, Michigan State coaches expect Sami to make his presence felt immediately on the interior d-line. His high football IQ has enabled Sami to make a smooth transition as a first-year Spartan.
“His learning curve is unbelievable,” said defensive line coach Diron Reynolds. “He came in and learned it all just as fast as some of the guys already in the room. Not only that, he’s a team player. Adding that depth to our room, adding that curve, and that body just speaks for itself.”
During his short time at Michigan State, Sami has been welcomed by his new teammates.
“They definitely welcomed me in with open arms,” Sami said. “It felt like family. They became my brothers within a week. Getting adjusted took me awhile, but they were always helpful, especially Maverick (Hansen). He has always been the guy to lean on, to hold me accountable, to let me know what is going on, to keep me up to date on how things are. It made the transition easier for sure.”
Sami’s extensive experience as a defensive tackle and his willingness to share knowledge with younger teammates has been an asset to the entire room.
“You’ve got a guy like Sami in the room off the wire that brings a lot of experience to the room,” Reynolds said. “He brings a lot of welcome knowledge and our guys are following him. He blends right in with the group.”
Journey to Michigan State
Sami had a solid career as a three-year starter at defensive tackle for Colorado despite having four different head coaches and nine different position coaches from the time he entered the program in 2018 and entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last April.
Given the tumultuous nature of his time at Colorado, Sami was determined to find the right fit for his final season of college football. In Michigan State, Sami believes he has found an environment where he make the defense better, while also being pushed to be the best version of himself.
“I feel like I can bring a lot to the table, not only make an impact on the game, but also an impact on the younger guys,” Sami said. “I can let them know the things that I’ve been through. The techniques that I’ve seen. We bounce ideas off and try and work with each other and see what we can do to improve each other’s games not only as a group but as individuals. So we can all play free, have fun, and play fast.”
The aggressive pursuit of Sami by Michigan State recruiters from the moment he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal worked in favor of the Spartans in getting him on campus for an official visit.
“They were one of the first two schools to reach out when I entered the portal,” Sami said. “The following weekend, they set up a whole visit for me. I was able to bring my mom and my girl, and we were able to get the whole feel for how East Lansing is, how the coaching staff was, and the facilities. The facilities are little bit different than Colorado.”
Sami had a connection to Michigan State having played for Tucker and Els at Colorado in 2019. He also had another connection to the Spartan program in former Colorado teammate Jaren Mangham, a running back. Mangham encouraged Sami to check out the Michigan State program in-person.
During his official visit to Michigan State, Sami reconnected with Mangham.
“It was the same kind of thing that we had in 2019,” Sami said. “When I came on my visit, I was really looking forward to a couple of coaches and Jaren Mangham, being back with him. We were pretty close during his freshman year at Colorado. It is a pretty good thing to come back together and finish it off. One last go.”
Sami also reconnected with Tucker, whose recollections of their short time together at Colorado reminded the 24-year-old defensive tackle of how much fun he had playing football as redshirt freshman in 2019.
“Being reminded of that by Coach Tucker brought back good memories of how young I was, and how fun the game was, especially when they were there,” Sami said. “I wanted to make sure that I felt that connection, the honest truth. Being able to tell you the blunt truth, but also being able to motivate you to be better instead of just chewing at you and getting on you about everything. That was one of the main things I was looking for from the coaching staff and I seen that in (Diron) Reynolds.”
While not all his future teammates on the defensive line were on campus when Sami took his official visit to Michigan State last spring, the former Colorado standout did manage to connect with several Spartan players including Harmon, a sophomore defensive tackle who started 12 games in 2022.
“Meeting D-Harm and all of the players that were here during that time, it felt like a good fit,” Sami said. “I was just blessed to be here and glad that I was able to come here to Michigan State.
D-line coach Diron Reynolds, who spent six years in the same position at Stanford and possesses a strong NFL background, also factored into Sami’s decision to play for Michigan State.
“I did my research on Coach Reynolds,” Sami said, “and he was also a factor in who I wanted to coach me. I’ve had nine coaches before, so I’ve seen good and bad. I’ve seen some great coaches and some pretty average coaches. I’ve had two or three coaches for three months and then they left. Being able to have that commitment for my last season was a big deal for me.”
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