Michigan State redshirt freshman Lawrence Thomas, a celebrated 2011 recruit from Detroit Renaissance, sat out last season with a shoulder injury that eventually required a surgical repair. Now MSU coaches are trying to figure out what to do with the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Thomas early in his career.
Michigan State redshirt freshman Lawrence Thomas, a celebrated 2011 recruit from Detroit Renaissance, sat out last season with a shoulder injury that eventually required a surgical repair. Now MSU coaches are trying to figure out what to do with the 6-foo
He showed strong linebacker instincts early in camp last season before getting hurt, but he’s more the size of a defensive end. He may eventually succeed Max Bullough at middle linebacker, but where will he play in 2012?
“I think he can do a little bit of both,” MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said. “We’re gonna discuss it with LT, gauge where he is. A kid has got to play where they want to. If their heart’s in it to be a linebacker, that’s where they’ve got to be. We’re not gonna see the real LT, the real guy, unless he plays something he’s happy playing. So that’s gonna be up to LT, where he wants to play.
“My thing is, I want to get him on the field as quickly as I can. We’ll try to guide him in what we think might be best for him and the football team, and then he’s got to make his decision on what he wants to do based on that. But I think he can do both, really. I think there’s a bigger learning curve at the linebacker position, especially since he hasn’t had a whole lot of reps.
“I think he’s gifted enough to play linebacker and defensive end. It’s all a matter of what he thinks and what we think he can pick up. If he wants to take a chance and be a linebacker, he’s taking that chance and we’ve got to sell out at linebacker. I think he can do whatever he really wants to do.”
— Joe Rexrode
Return to Glory says: See comments posted on LSJ website and Facebook below. What I failed to include was that MSU is now in a position that we can't find a place for a 5-Star defensive player - not because he he has been a bust (Tressel and Narduzzi are gushing over him), but because missed practice time and others defenders playing at a high level have left him off the 2-deep. There is too much talent on that side of the ball. Is that crazy or what? In any past year he would be in the 2-deep and most years he would be a likely starter heading into summer. Progress. Progress. Progress. This is a top-notch program folks.
BEATchUMps.com
Lawrence Thomas: With no true DEs in last year's recruiting class, a shorter learning curve at DE and the log jam at LB, I do hope Thomas makes the move to DE at 280 pounds even though he was a 5-star LB recruit (so was William Gholston). What I really like though is the message to recruits right there for all to see - MSU coaches are not going to force you to play a position you don't want to play. They want and value your passion. You are not just an asset - a "piece of meat". Excellent message backed up by walking the talk. That should be very attractive as recruits continue to gain trust that the MSU program is on solid ground and continuing to improve, even after back to back 11 win seasons (seasons that, using the rules of yesteryear, would have landed them in the Rose Bowl - both years).
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