Michigan State DE Jacoby Windmon wins national player of week award

Michigan State Spartans defensive end Jacoby Windmon was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday. The award was given as recognition for his debut performance with the program.

The award was made after Windmon recorded seven tackles, four sacks, and a single forced tumble in the season opener win against the Western Michigan Broncos. The young DE became the seventh player to have achieved the national player of the week honor for the team. Last October, running back Kenneth Walker III was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year after rushing for 197 yards and recording five touchdowns against the Michigan Wolverines.

“I was all in for it,” Windmon said after defeating Western Michigan. “Just had that mindset to just go in there and dominate whatever position I’m at on the field.”

Windmon’s career

Windmon is an off-season transfer from the UNLV Rebels. Before making his way to Michigan State, the player spent three seasons with the Las Vegas-based program, where he made 169 tackles.

Despite playing in an entirely different environment at Michigan State, Windmon has proven his worth by helping the team climb up the the Big 10 East Conference. Windmon was initially assigned to play linebacker, a position he played during his time at UNLV.

However, he was moved to play DE ahead to the season opener against the Broncos. According to Sports Illustrated's Matthew Lounsberry, the senior player was given the role due to his display of “exceptional pass-rushing abilities and to provide more depth at the position for the Spartans.”

“It was a great opportunity to get out there in the Woodshed, defend our home, go out there and do what we love to do best," Windmon said.

"I couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere from the fans. They were loud and hyped for the game. The guys on the sideline brought juice. Everybody had their own juice. It was exciting to get out there and get a ‘dub’ with my brothers. [We’ll] continue to stack these wins and play one game at a time, one week at a time.”

When asked about playing DE, Windmon said it was something he had worked on in the fall camp.

“It was something I was always working on in fall camp. Because I knew one of my roles when I got here was to be a third-down guy, come off the edge,” he explained.

The triumph in East Lansing could also be attributed to head coach Mel Tucker. Last season, Tucker led the team to an 11–2 overall record, which propelled them to the third in the conference. The finish was a significant increase compared to his first-year stint with the team in 2020, finishing 2-5 overall and seventh in the conference standings.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do but I like what I saw in the locker room after the game, from our team and from our leaders. It’s a hungry football team and we know that we need to get better,” the 50-year-old said.