Standout DE Jalen Thompson Agrees to NIL Partnership with Xenith

DETROIT, MI, April 17, 2024 - Xenith is thrilled to welcome Michigan State defensive lineman, Jalen Thompson, to its growing roster of NIL athletes. Jalen grew up in Detroit, Michigan and attended Cass Technical High School, where he earned several accolades as a student-athlete and became known as one of the top players in the state. Jalen is currently entering his sophomore season at MSU, and was recently named the #1 Freshman Edge in the Big Ten, and the #2 Freshman Edge in the entire NCAA.

"It's a huge honor to be able to work with a hometown brand that's as powerful and diverse as Xenith," Jalen said. "I really thank them for believing in me, supporting my journey, and giving me this opportunity to represent a brand that I've worn and trusted throughout my career."

This exciting partnership will consist of a custom designed Xenith apparel line inspired by Jalen, an affiliate code for use on Xenith.com, plus Jalen will work collaboratively with both of our marketing and product teams to provide valuable player feedback and insight from the field.

"We're very excited to work with Jalen," Kyle Lamson, Director of Product Development for Xenith, explained. "By tapping into his experiences on the field, we have the opportunity to learn more about what players are looking for in their football equipment. Plus, Jalen’s invaluable insight will play an important role in the advancement of Xenith gear in the future."  

“This partnership is unique because we’re actually inviting Jalen to join our team, offer his own input, and get a 'behind the scenes' look at how our marketing team runs and operates,” said Joshua DeOrnellas, Director of Marketing for Xenith. “We believe this is a fresh take on NIL partnerships,” he continued. “By providing young athletes the opportunity to gain experience in a professional work environment, our aim is not only to set them up for success as they begin their college careers, but also inspire and sharpen the skills they will inevitably use for the rest of their professional careers as well.”

Jalen is a talented defensive lineman who’s incredibly athletic, has a good motor on the field, and natural football instincts. According to MSUSpartans.com, the 2023 Cass Technical High School graduate was a consensus four-star prospect (Rivals, ESPN, 247Sports, On3), consensus No. 1 defensive end prospect in the state of Michigan, as well as a member of the Rivals250 (No. 223) and ESPN300 (No. 170) as one of the best overall players in the country.

Jalen was rated the No. 13 overall player in the Midwest by ESPN.com and ranked among the best defensive ends in the nation by Rivals (No. 16), ESPN (No. 22), On3 (No. 38) and 247Sports (No. 38) He is listed as one of the top overall players in Michigan by Rivals (No. 3), 247Sports (No. 4), ESPN (No. 4) and On3 (No. 6).

Jalen is a three-year varsity letterman who helped Cass Tech to a 9-4 record, the Detroit Public School League (PSL) title, and a berth in the Michigan Division 1 state semifinals his senior season in 2022. He finished the season with 53 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. During his junior season in 2021, Jalen had 30 tackles (12 for loss and 10 sacks) while earning MLive Metro Detroit Football Dream Team honorable mention.

Watch the moment when Jalen made his official announcement to play college football for Michigan State University in the video below: