Thompson, Dunnigan standing out at defensive end for Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – After spending spring football at the rush end position for Michigan State, sophomore Jalen Thompson (6-3, 253) has made a smooth transition back to the more traditional defensive end position in Joe Rossi’s defense.
Under the right circumstances, however, Thompson could potentially move back to the rush end position where Khris Bogle appears to be a favorite for a starting role.
“I don’t know if it is necessarily a better fit, we just know that he is a really good football player,” said Michigan State defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa of Thompson. “At the end of the camp, we want to be able to find the best 11 that we can put on the field. We felt like that was an opportunity to see if we could get our best 11 on the field.”
At defensive end, Thompson is competing with Middle Tennessee State transfer Quindarius Dunnigan for a starting job at Michigan State. Second-year Spartan Ken Talley and true freshman Kekai Burnett are also repping at the position.
“Q has done a great job getting better,” Suiaunoa said. “He is a different player now, from the spring, and he had a good spring. He had a good summer with strength staff, and now in fall camp, he has even taken more steps in terms of his ability to play football.”
At 6-foot-4, 271, Dunnigan can play both off the edge or on interior d-line for the Spartans.
“He has the ability to play anywhere along the defensive line,” Suiaunoa said. “And that is not necessarily just (physical) ability. He learns really, well. He knows all four (positions), what is happening up front. We are happy that he can add some versatility to the front.”
For his part, Thompson has also had a strong showing in Michigan State’s training camp.
“He has had a great camp so far,” Suiaunoa said. “As camp goes on, he continues to get better as far as learning. Everybody is learning a new defense. In the spring they learned it, but now they are adding the details of what it takes to be good in this defense. I think he has done that.”
Cross-training players between rush and defensive end can be done effectively because of the mutual respect that Suiaunoa and rush end coach Chad Wilt have for each other and the professionalism of both men.
“Whenever you have two coaches that are pretty good in what they do, that is always going add a lot of value,” Suiaunoa said. “Coach Wilt has done a great job in his career. We’ve been able to go back and forth in terms of what we know about this position, what we know personnel-wise and be able to help this group develop.”
With Wilt focused on rush ends, Suiaunoa has been able to maximize player development at defensive tackle and defensive end by drilling down into the technical details his players need to be successfull at their positions.
“It has helped us here because we have been able to focus on certain techniques that we see a little bit with the inside guys than he does,” Suiaunoa said. “The amount of time that we have been able to spend on individual players and individual techniques has added a lot value to our defense.”
Michigan State will need strong production from as many versatile defensive players as they can get on field in Smith’s first year at the helm of the Spartan program. The versatility that Thompson and Dunnigan can provide is welcome whether it is in the starting lineup or rotating into the game.
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