MSU DC Mike Tressel on Kenny Willekes

There were plenty of unexpected bright spots to come out of Michigan State’s 10-3 season a year ago, and, quite possibly, none shined brighter than defensive

There were plenty of unexpected bright spots to come out of Michigan State’s 10-3 season a year ago, and, quite possibly, none shined brighter than defensive end Kenny Willekes, a former walk-on.

Willekes, who earned a scholarship in the spring of 2017, appeared in all 13 games a season ago and made 12 starts as he emerged as an important member of a Michigan State defense that ranked No. 7 in the country in total defense a year ago.

At 5 #Michigan State’s football media day, Willekes and Michigan State defensive coordinator Mike Tressel spoke on the emergence of the junior defensive end and the expectations going into 2018.

Tressel said that Willekes has obviously been a great story to go from walk-on to the team’s leader in sacks and also credited head coach Mark Dantonio and his ability to identify players like Willekes.

“He’s definitely a great discovery,” he said. “Anytime you have someone that comes in as a walk-on and produces like he has still early in his career, that’s fantastic. But one thing Coach Dantonio has always done is try to find guys that fit us in terms of motor and their passion for the game of football. And if you find those guys, out of sheer will they pan out.”

A season ago, Willekes tallied seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss (sixth most in the Big Ten) and 73 tackles, which was good enough for third most on the Spartans in 2018.

As he looks to build off of last season Willekes said that he’s been working to improve his pass rush as well as his leadership and taking on a larger role in that respect moving forward.

“I have two things really, my first one is I have to improve my pass rush,” he said. “It’s been my biggest focus all off season, it’s been my biggest focus through the spring, through the fall, my number one goal. So being a dominant and elite pass rusher is something that I want to focus on, and then being a leader. Bring the other guys with me and trying to find another guy in the room that can step up and play across from me. Having 3-4 D-ends, so that when I do leave, when I do graduate, there will be plenty of depth coming behind me.”

In the Mark Dantonio era in East Lansing, the Spartans have proven to be able to develop walk-ons into key contributors and starters over the years, most notably, offensive lineman Jack Conklin, who went from being a walk-on at Michigan State to the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

When it comes to identifying and developing walk-ons, Tressel said that it’s relatively easy for the coaches to know if a player could develop into a regular contributor and added that the coaching staff was confident in Willekes’ ability, but what put him over the top was his attention to detail and ability to develop fundamentally.

“You realize pretty quickly that they have a chance, I mean real quick,” he said. “You can tell, okay, this guy really has a chance if he develops. It’s how fast can they put on the weight, how fast can they get strong enough and powerful enough. With Kenny, you could tell he can make plays. It was as if he’s disciplined enough to do the things he needs to do when he’s not the one making the play. Can he get his feet squared up when he’s engaging contact instead of making the tackle? Some of those fundamental things you have to wait and see.”

Remember to stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on Willekes and the Spartans!

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