Last confirmed: Michigan State, 2019. No 2026 box-score games on record.
6′4″ · 260 lb · Rockford, MI
Kenny Willekes: DE · Michigan State · #48.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Kenny Willekes
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come. Fourth year in the Michigan State defensive front. On tape: 12 tackles against Indiana, Week 5, 2019.
Play style
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
78 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 16 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Lansing State Journal Oct 23
Yahoo Sports Oct 21
The State News Oct 13Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Michigan State | 78 | 32 | 16.0 | 10.5 | -- |
| 2018 | Michigan State | 77 | 37 | 20.5 | 8.0 | 1 |
| 2017 | Michigan State | 72 | 33 | 14.0 | 6.5 | 2 |
| 2016 | Michigan State | -- | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| Career | 227 | 102 | 50.5 | 25.0 | 4 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 28-7vs Tulsa | 7 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 2 | W 51-17vs Western Michigan | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 sacks |
| Wk 3 | L 7-10vs Arizona State | 7 | 1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-10@ Northwestern | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 40-31vs Indiana | 12 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 6 | L 10-34@ No. 4 Ohio State | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 0-38@ No. 8 Wisconsin | 5 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 7-28vs No. 6 Penn State | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 34-37vs Illinois | 6 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 10-44@ No. 14 Michigan | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 27-0@ Rutgers | 4 | 1 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 19-16vs Maryland | 6 | 3 | 2.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
 Bowl | W 27-21@ Wake Forest | 9 | 4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 78 | 32 | 16.0 | 10.5 | — | 0 |
Week 2 · 2019
W 51-17
2 sacks · 2 tackles for loss · 5 tackles
Dominant 34-point win at home against Western Michigan.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
13%10 sacksTFL rate
21%16 TFLHurry rate
21%16 hurriesPressure-to-sack conversion
40%10 of 26 pressures78 tackles · 16 for loss · 10.5 sacks.
4 seasons under Mark Dantonio — 27-24 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 6.6 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 4.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-78g | 6.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 4.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mark Dantonio
Pass share
50.4%
463 pass / 456 run
Plays / game
70.7
13 games
Team sack rate
3.8%
497 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2019
78 tackles in 13 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
How it ended
Four seasons at Michigan State, 25 sacks — drafted at #225 overall by the Minnesota Vikings.
His career
He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.
Coaching lineage · 2016–2019
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Mark Dantonio.
Where he ended up · NFL
Minnesota VikingsEntering 7th NFL season
Minnesota VikingsEntering 7th NFL season
