Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard makes All-Decade Team
Former Michigan State Spartan, Darqueze Dennard is now a member of the Big Ten Network's All-Decade football team.
Originally from Georgia, the 5-foot-11, 202-pound cornerback was not heavily recruited but left East Lansing as the first player to win the Jim Thorpe Award, recognizing the nation's best defensive back.
"I was just really grateful for the opportunity. I'm not sure too many people know my story," Dennard said to Big Ten Network. "That was really my first scholarship. The first and only one and when I got it, I was just happy I was going to get an opportunity."
Dennard played and started in 40 out of 44 games for MSU finishing his career with 167 tackles, 20 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and 10 interceptions.
He became a starter during his sophomore season, helping lead Michigan State to the Outback Bowl, where the Spartans defeated Georgia, and Dennard grabbed two interceptions.
The Spartan alum referred to the Outback Bowl as one of the two best performances he ever had at MSU, saying, "that was my coming out game and me being confident enough in myself to go out there and just make plays."
Dennard was former coach Mark Dantonio's first-ever first-round pick when the Cincinnati Bengals selected him 24th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
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