Spartans' Demetrius Cooper out to show 'people what I can do'

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State defensive end Demetrius Cooper is hoping for better vision on the football field this season — and more tackles than the 22 he had in 2015.

No, there’s nothing wrong with Cooper’s eyes. It’s just that the 6-foot-5, 252-pound junior from Chicago is trying to improve his field vision during spring practice.

“I’ve gotten a lot better with my vision,” Cooper said recently. “Last year, it was more like, just go out there and play. My redshirt freshman year — I was just getting my feet wet. This year, it’s about knowing where everyone is and knowing where I should be. I’m, hopefully, going out there as a starter, playing every down and showing people what I can do.”

Cooper ranked second on the team with five sacks last season. Only Shilique Calhoun, with 10 1/2 sacks, had more. Cooper had a career-high five tackles and a sack against Central Michigan in his first career start.

With Calhoun and Lawrence Thomas departed, Cooper and Evan Jones are listed as the starting defensive ends on the spring depth chart.

“I’ve been watching film every night,” Cooper said. “Even through the school break. I’ve watched what I’ve done wrong and what I’ve done right.”

Cooper knows that he and his teammates have a lot of work to do before fall.

“We have a long way to go,” Cooper said. “There are a lot of things we have to get better at. We are doing it day by day.”

But Cooper is confident he’s ready for a bigger role.

“With Shilique gone, the expectations are high on me ... that I can step into his shoes and do the things he did,” Cooper said. “That’s a big challenge. So I’m just focusing on getting better, not worrying about stats and fame.

“I just want to go out there, do my job and watch my team succeed.”