One of the best Michigan State football players from the Mark Dantonio is getting another NFL opportunity this fall. Former walk-on Kenny Willekes is getting another shot this season.
After walking on in 2015 with Michigan State, Willekes eventually earned a full scholarship and then won the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year award in 2018. He then won the Burlsworth Trophy in 2019 and was an All-Big Ten first-teamer in back-to-back seasons before getting drafted.
Willekes was selected in the seventh round by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft where he spent three seasons before heading to the UFL to play for the Michigan Panthers.