Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Kenny Willekes Named Finalist for Burlsworth Trophy
11/19/2019 2:24:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Midseason All-American and 2018 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Kenny Willekes, who led the Big Ten in tackles for loss last season with 20.5, has been named one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy. The award is given annually to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.
Willekes joins Ashtyn Davis, a safety and kick returner from California, and Rodrigo Blankenship, a kicker from Georgia, as the finalists for the award. The three finalists will be honored and the winner of the 2019 Burlsworth Trophy will be announced on Dec. 9 at 12:45 p.m. at a luncheon in Springdale, Arkansas, hosted by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation in conjunction with the Springdale Rotary Club.
The trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth. Without one Division I scholarship offer, Burlsworth walked on to the Arkansas Razorback team in 1994, worked his way to being a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children who have limited opportunities.
Willekes ranks first among all FBS players with 1.22 tackles for loss per game and second with 45.0 career tackles for loss overall. He is second on the team this season with 10.0 tackles for loss, including a team-best 6.5 sacks. He is also fourth on the team with 59 tackles, which is the most among defensive linemen in the Big Ten. Willekes was named a first-team midseason All-American by Rivals.com.
Willekes is fourth in school history with 45 tackles for loss in his career; he needs three more TFLs to tie Julian Peterson (48) for the most in school history.
A chemistry major, Willekes earned a scholarship in the spring of 2017 and hasn't looked back since. He is MSU's active leader in sacks (tied for sixth in school history with 22) and tackles for loss (fourth in school history with 45). He has 210 tackles overall in 37 career games, including 35 starts.
Willekes was named the National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and also the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his impressive performance in the season opener vs. Tulsa. Willekes scored his first career touchdown after teaming up on a sack with Raequan Williams and pouncing on the fumble in the end zone to give MSU a 22-0 lead with 4:49 left in the second quarter. Earlier in the second quarter, he recovered a fumble after a bad Tulsa snap to set up an MSU field goal. He also had a 1-yard tackle for loss in the second quarter and a 2-yard sack in the fourth quarter. Overall, Willekes led the Spartans with seven tackles, including 2.5 TFLs (6 yards) and 1.5 sacks (5 yards).
After leading the Big Ten with 20.5 tackles for loss, Willekes was named the 2018 Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a first-team All-American by The Athletic. Willekes became the second Spartan to win the award (Shilique Calhoun in 2013), which is named after MSU's Bubba Smith and Penn State's Courtney Brown and given to the Big Ten's most outstanding defensive lineman, and was the first Spartan defensive end to earn first-team All-America honors since Robaire Smith in 1998. Willekes was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team by the coaches, media, Associated Press, Athlon Sports, ESPN.com, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus, and earned second-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Phil Steele, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Willekes, who entered the program as a walk-on linebacker for the 2015 season, has emerged as one of the top pass rushers in the nation. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken fibula in the Redbox Bowl against Oregon, but he fully recovered in time for the 2019 season. He was named a first-team preseason All-American by numerous media outlets (Athlon Sports, CBS Sports, Lindy's, Phil Steele, Sporting News and Street & Smith's) and was featured on watch lists for the Walter Camp Award (college player of the year), Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year), Nagurski Trophy (nation's most outstanding college defensive player) and Hendricks Award (nation's best defensive end).
A 6-4, 260-pound native of Rockford, Michigan, Willekes collected a league-best 20.5 tackles for loss in 2018, good for second most in a Spartan single season and eighth most in the FBS in 2018. He also led the Spartans with 8.5 sacks, which ranked tied for fifth in the Big Ten. He registered a career-high 78 tackles to rank first among all defensive lineman in the nation, including a career-high 13 against Ohio State on Nov. 3.
According to Pro Football Focus, Willekes led all edge rushers in the FBS in 2018 with 23 quarterback hits and ranked sixth with 39 QB hurries. Willekes was also the highest-ranked Big Ten edge rusher with a 90.3 grade.
At the Spartan Football Awards banquet on Nov. 25, 2018, Willekes was named the recipient of the Governor's Award (MVP), becoming the first Spartan defensive end to win the honor since its inception in 1931.
After playing in just one game as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Willekes earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2017 with a team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Willekes has recorded two sacks in a game six times in his career (2017: Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland; 2018: Utah State, Maryland; 2019: Western Michigan).
Willekes joins Ashtyn Davis, a safety and kick returner from California, and Rodrigo Blankenship, a kicker from Georgia, as the finalists for the award. The three finalists will be honored and the winner of the 2019 Burlsworth Trophy will be announced on Dec. 9 at 12:45 p.m. at a luncheon in Springdale, Arkansas, hosted by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation in conjunction with the Springdale Rotary Club.
The trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth. Without one Division I scholarship offer, Burlsworth walked on to the Arkansas Razorback team in 1994, worked his way to being a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children who have limited opportunities.
Willekes ranks first among all FBS players with 1.22 tackles for loss per game and second with 45.0 career tackles for loss overall. He is second on the team this season with 10.0 tackles for loss, including a team-best 6.5 sacks. He is also fourth on the team with 59 tackles, which is the most among defensive linemen in the Big Ten. Willekes was named a first-team midseason All-American by Rivals.com.
Willekes is fourth in school history with 45 tackles for loss in his career; he needs three more TFLs to tie Julian Peterson (48) for the most in school history.
A chemistry major, Willekes earned a scholarship in the spring of 2017 and hasn't looked back since. He is MSU's active leader in sacks (tied for sixth in school history with 22) and tackles for loss (fourth in school history with 45). He has 210 tackles overall in 37 career games, including 35 starts.
Willekes was named the National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and also the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his impressive performance in the season opener vs. Tulsa. Willekes scored his first career touchdown after teaming up on a sack with Raequan Williams and pouncing on the fumble in the end zone to give MSU a 22-0 lead with 4:49 left in the second quarter. Earlier in the second quarter, he recovered a fumble after a bad Tulsa snap to set up an MSU field goal. He also had a 1-yard tackle for loss in the second quarter and a 2-yard sack in the fourth quarter. Overall, Willekes led the Spartans with seven tackles, including 2.5 TFLs (6 yards) and 1.5 sacks (5 yards).
After leading the Big Ten with 20.5 tackles for loss, Willekes was named the 2018 Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a first-team All-American by The Athletic. Willekes became the second Spartan to win the award (Shilique Calhoun in 2013), which is named after MSU's Bubba Smith and Penn State's Courtney Brown and given to the Big Ten's most outstanding defensive lineman, and was the first Spartan defensive end to earn first-team All-America honors since Robaire Smith in 1998. Willekes was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team by the coaches, media, Associated Press, Athlon Sports, ESPN.com, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus, and earned second-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Phil Steele, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Willekes, who entered the program as a walk-on linebacker for the 2015 season, has emerged as one of the top pass rushers in the nation. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken fibula in the Redbox Bowl against Oregon, but he fully recovered in time for the 2019 season. He was named a first-team preseason All-American by numerous media outlets (Athlon Sports, CBS Sports, Lindy's, Phil Steele, Sporting News and Street & Smith's) and was featured on watch lists for the Walter Camp Award (college player of the year), Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year), Nagurski Trophy (nation's most outstanding college defensive player) and Hendricks Award (nation's best defensive end).
A 6-4, 260-pound native of Rockford, Michigan, Willekes collected a league-best 20.5 tackles for loss in 2018, good for second most in a Spartan single season and eighth most in the FBS in 2018. He also led the Spartans with 8.5 sacks, which ranked tied for fifth in the Big Ten. He registered a career-high 78 tackles to rank first among all defensive lineman in the nation, including a career-high 13 against Ohio State on Nov. 3.
According to Pro Football Focus, Willekes led all edge rushers in the FBS in 2018 with 23 quarterback hits and ranked sixth with 39 QB hurries. Willekes was also the highest-ranked Big Ten edge rusher with a 90.3 grade.
At the Spartan Football Awards banquet on Nov. 25, 2018, Willekes was named the recipient of the Governor's Award (MVP), becoming the first Spartan defensive end to win the honor since its inception in 1931.
After playing in just one game as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Willekes earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2017 with a team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Willekes has recorded two sacks in a game six times in his career (2017: Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland; 2018: Utah State, Maryland; 2019: Western Michigan).
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