MSU’s linebackers coach teachers with enjoyment
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Erroll Thompson stood in the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex on Thursday night with his shoulder pads on and sweat beading down his face. He just finished Mississippi State’s sixth preseason practice.
The clock ticked closer to 9 p.m. The redshirt sophomore seemed understandably tired, but he still graciously answered questions about his role as a leader in the Bulldogs’ linebacking unit. His eyes finally lit up when he was asked about someone other than himself.
“What kind of impact has Tem Lukabu had on you?”
Thompson smiled, then chuckled, and seemed thrilled to speak on his linebackers coach.
“It’s great having a coach who is going to coach you hard but can also put his arm around you and talk to you as a father figure and not just a coach,” Thompson said.
Lukabu brings a unique approach to his coaching style. He admits that he can be a bit tough on his players from time to time. Try to find a football coach who isn’t.
It’s more uncommon to find one who’s jovial and laid back with his guys more than he isn’t. That’s Lukabu.
He spent four years as a defensive assistant in the NFL – two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and two with the San Francisco 49ers. He left the latter earlier this year to join Joe Moorhead’s staff in Starkville. Lukabu cherished his opportunity to learn at the game’s highest level, but the chance to return to the collegiate ranks appealed to him.
Lukabu played linebacker for four years at Colgate. He was the Patriot League’s defensive MVP in 2002 and 2003. The Raiders won the league championship in each of those seasons. Those accolades are important to Lukabu, and now he wants to help MSU’s linebackers have similar success.
“I want all the guys to have a positive experience because that’s the reason why I’m here,” Lukabu said. “I had a positive experience with the career I had in college, and it help propelled me to other things. I want the same for them.”
Lukabu said Thompson stands out as a player poised to break out. He had an All-SEC freshman season despite serving as a backup for most of the year. He earned starts in the final three games of the season after Dez Harris went down with an injury. Both Lukabu and Thompson said those reps are invaluable.
“Rather than guessing or assuming what’s going to happen on Saturday against SEC teams, he already knows what to expect,” Lukabu said.
“When you’re in a reserve role, you don’t really see everything first-hand. When you’re out there from the first snap to the last snap, it’s a different view of everything,” Thompson said.
Leo Lewis and Willie Gay Jr. also have potential to make plays at linebacker this season. Lewis has started 25 times in his career and Gay played in all 13 games last year as a true freshman.
Moorhead said junior college transfer Sh’mar Kilby-Lane, who played in 11 games at Florida State in 2015, adds stability and depth at linebacker and should play his way onto the field this fall as well. For Lukabu, the number of snaps each player records on game days is directly linked to preparation.
The most intriguing facet of professional players’ games that Lukabu observed during his time in the NFL was how hard each of them prepare for games. Lukabu said players in college aren’t honest with themselves and find too many ways to cheat in their preparation. That won’t happen here.
“The best players weren’t always necessarily the best athletes,” Lukabu said. “But they were guys who prepared and grinded. They had a system for how they were going to get ready for the game. They had a day by day routine. That’s what I’m working with the guys on here.”
Part of that preparation involves getting guys to loosen up. Lukabu said he senses when players are too tight. From his experiences at Colgate, he knows how hard it is to perform when the mind is stressed and the body is stiff.
That’s when the humor that makes exhausted players like Thompson crack a smile during late-night media sessions kicks in.
“You’ve got to have the human side or else it’s not fun and they don’t want to be out there,” Lukabu said. “That’s why we’re here. At the end of the day, it’s a game.”