Photo by: Matthew Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications
Kenny Willekes Ready to Compete in Senior Bowl
1/23/2020 11:28:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State All-American defensive end Kenny Willekes will represent the North team in the Reese's Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 25 in Mobile, Alabama. The 71st annual Senior Bowl will be televised live on the NFL Network, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. ET from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Lions head coach Matt Patricia leads the North team.
"It's an opportunity to prove myself and show 32 teams why they should use a draft pick on me," said Willekes earlier this week during an interview with HoustonTexans.com at the Senior Bowl media sessions. "I feel like I still have some holes in my game that I would like to show – my ability to stand up, play in coverage a little bit, bend the edge – those are things they (scouts) want to see this week. I'll have an opportunity to do that."
Willekes has been preparing all week in Mobile for Saturday's game and has garnered attention for making plays in the backfield.
"I'm always going to play with effort, physicality and toughness," Willekes said of what he wants to show scouts during the draft process. "I'm going to put my hands on people and play physical."
A two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Willekes finished his Spartan career ranked No. 1 in school history with 51 tackles for loss and third with 26 sacks. He also earned second-team All-America honors twice from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and was a first-team All-America choice by The Athletic in 2018 after he was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior with a league-leading 20.5 tackles for loss.
The high-motor defensive end recorded 229 career tackles, fourth-most ever among Spartan defensive linemen, and played in 40 career games, including 38 starts and 31 consecutive to close out his career. He also compiled five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and four pass break-ups.
A 2019 Spartan graduate with a degree in chemistry, Willekes earned a scholarship in the spring of 2017 and hasn't looked back since. He entered the program as a walk-on linebacker for the 2015 season but emerged as one of the top pass rushers in the nation during his time in East Lansing. Willekes' improbable journey came full circle on Dec. 9, 2019, when he was named the winner of the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation's best player who was a former walk-on.
"It's been an incredible journey," said Willekes. "I've been impacted by so many people in so many different ways. I'd say it's a big growth curve. You come in a young kid, not really knowing what to expect, and you leave a grown man. I'm just thankful and grateful for all the people at Michigan State that have shaped me and molded me into the man that I am today."
Willekes led the team and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with a career-high 10.5 sacks as a senior in 2019 and became the first defensive player in program history to be voted the winner of the Governor's Award (team MVP) twice. He also led the team with 16.5 tackles for loss, tied for sixth in the conference, and tied his career high with 78 tackles, most among all Big Ten defensive lineman. Willekes capped his sensational Spartan career with nine tackles, including for 1.5 sacks, in MSU's win over Wake Forest in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl and was named to The Associated Press All-Bowl Team for his postseason performance.
A two-time member of the team's Eagles leadership council who was voted a team captain as a senior, Willekes played 757 snaps, most among Spartan defensive linemen, in 2019. In addition to winning the team's Downtown Coaches Club Award for most outstanding player on defense and the Biggie Munn Award for most inspirational player on defense, he was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Lombardi Award.
Willekes set the school's all-time tackles for loss record on Senior Day vs. Maryland on Nov. 30 when he recorded 2.5 TFLs against the Terrapins.
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 as a junior, Willekes was named the 2018 Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a first-team All-American by The Athletic. Willekes was only 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. He also became the first Spartan defensive end to win the Governor's Award (team MVP).
In addition, Willekes was 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.
Unfortunately, Willekes suffered a broken fibula in the 2018 Redbox Bowl against Oregon, but he fully recovered in time for the 2019 season to once again earn first-team All-Big Ten honors, joining Smith and Calhoun as the only Spartan defensive ends to receive first-team all-league honors on at least two occasions.
A 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.
After playing in just one game as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Willekes had a breakthrough season as a sophomore in 2017, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors with a team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Willekes is the 16th Spartan under Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio to participate in the Senior Bowl.
"It's an honor and a privilege to wear the green and white," said Willekes of wearing the Spartan helmet one last time on Saturday in the Senior Bowl. "We talk about 'earn the jersey' all the time. I feel like by the time you're a senior you've earned the jersey and earned the right to wear that, so I'm honored to be able to wear it one last time. It's a special place, and will always be a special place in my heart."
SPARTANS IN THE SENIOR BOWL UNDER MARK DANTONIO (16)
C Jack Allen, 2016
WR Aaron Burbridge, 2016
QB Kirk Cousins, 2012
TE Kellen Davis, 2008
S Kurtis Drummond, 2015*
WR Bennie Fowler, 2014
LB Greg Jones, 2011
RB Jeremy Langford, 2015*
S Isaiah Lewis, 2014
TE Brian Linthicum, 2012
WR/CB Tony Lippett, 2015
S Trenton Robinson, 2012
K Brett Swenson, 2010
DE Lawrence Thomas, 2016
DE Kenny Willekes, 2020
S Khari Willis, 2019
*Participated in practice, but did not compete in game due to injury
"It's an opportunity to prove myself and show 32 teams why they should use a draft pick on me," said Willekes earlier this week during an interview with HoustonTexans.com at the Senior Bowl media sessions. "I feel like I still have some holes in my game that I would like to show – my ability to stand up, play in coverage a little bit, bend the edge – those are things they (scouts) want to see this week. I'll have an opportunity to do that."
Willekes has been preparing all week in Mobile for Saturday's game and has garnered attention for making plays in the backfield.
"I'm always going to play with effort, physicality and toughness," Willekes said of what he wants to show scouts during the draft process. "I'm going to put my hands on people and play physical."
.@MSU_Football's Kenny Willekes at it again. Blows up Purdue TE Brycen Hopkins and Baylor RB Jamycal Hasty all at once.#SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/69eKPVdbsW
— Chase Goodbread (@ChaseGoodbread) January 22, 2020
A two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Willekes finished his Spartan career ranked No. 1 in school history with 51 tackles for loss and third with 26 sacks. He also earned second-team All-America honors twice from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and was a first-team All-America choice by The Athletic in 2018 after he was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior with a league-leading 20.5 tackles for loss.
The high-motor defensive end recorded 229 career tackles, fourth-most ever among Spartan defensive linemen, and played in 40 career games, including 38 starts and 31 consecutive to close out his career. He also compiled five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and four pass break-ups.
A 2019 Spartan graduate with a degree in chemistry, Willekes earned a scholarship in the spring of 2017 and hasn't looked back since. He entered the program as a walk-on linebacker for the 2015 season but emerged as one of the top pass rushers in the nation during his time in East Lansing. Willekes' improbable journey came full circle on Dec. 9, 2019, when he was named the winner of the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation's best player who was a former walk-on.
"It's been an incredible journey," said Willekes. "I've been impacted by so many people in so many different ways. I'd say it's a big growth curve. You come in a young kid, not really knowing what to expect, and you leave a grown man. I'm just thankful and grateful for all the people at Michigan State that have shaped me and molded me into the man that I am today."
Willekes led the team and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with a career-high 10.5 sacks as a senior in 2019 and became the first defensive player in program history to be voted the winner of the Governor's Award (team MVP) twice. He also led the team with 16.5 tackles for loss, tied for sixth in the conference, and tied his career high with 78 tackles, most among all Big Ten defensive lineman. Willekes capped his sensational Spartan career with nine tackles, including for 1.5 sacks, in MSU's win over Wake Forest in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl and was named to The Associated Press All-Bowl Team for his postseason performance.
Michigan State's Kenny Willekes is flexing his muscles in Senior Bowl one-on-one's pic.twitter.com/fiC7tn5Ndk
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) January 22, 2020
A two-time member of the team's Eagles leadership council who was voted a team captain as a senior, Willekes played 757 snaps, most among Spartan defensive linemen, in 2019. In addition to winning the team's Downtown Coaches Club Award for most outstanding player on defense and the Biggie Munn Award for most inspirational player on defense, he was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Lombardi Award.
Willekes set the school's all-time tackles for loss record on Senior Day vs. Maryland on Nov. 30 when he recorded 2.5 TFLs against the Terrapins.
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 as a junior, Willekes was named the 2018 Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a first-team All-American by The Athletic. Willekes was only 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. He also became the first Spartan defensive end to win the Governor's Award (team MVP).
In addition, Willekes was 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.
Unfortunately, Willekes suffered a broken fibula in the 2018 Redbox Bowl against Oregon, but he fully recovered in time for the 2019 season to once again earn first-team All-Big Ten honors, joining Smith and Calhoun as the only Spartan defensive ends to receive first-team all-league honors on at least two occasions.
A 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.
After playing in just one game as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Willekes had a breakthrough season as a sophomore in 2017, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors with a team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Willekes is the 16th Spartan under Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio to participate in the Senior Bowl.
"It's an honor and a privilege to wear the green and white," said Willekes of wearing the Spartan helmet one last time on Saturday in the Senior Bowl. "We talk about 'earn the jersey' all the time. I feel like by the time you're a senior you've earned the jersey and earned the right to wear that, so I'm honored to be able to wear it one last time. It's a special place, and will always be a special place in my heart."
Great interview with @kennyw97 from the @HoustonTexans: "I've been impacted by so many people in so many different ways...I'm just thankful & grateful for all the people at Michigan State that have shaped me & molded me into the man that I am today."https://t.co/nLqnjif2EA
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) January 23, 2020
SPARTANS IN THE SENIOR BOWL UNDER MARK DANTONIO (16)
C Jack Allen, 2016
WR Aaron Burbridge, 2016
QB Kirk Cousins, 2012
TE Kellen Davis, 2008
S Kurtis Drummond, 2015*
WR Bennie Fowler, 2014
LB Greg Jones, 2011
RB Jeremy Langford, 2015*
S Isaiah Lewis, 2014
TE Brian Linthicum, 2012
WR/CB Tony Lippett, 2015
S Trenton Robinson, 2012
K Brett Swenson, 2010
DE Lawrence Thomas, 2016
DE Kenny Willekes, 2020
S Khari Willis, 2019
*Participated in practice, but did not compete in game due to injury
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