Kenny Willekes getting another shot at professional football

Kenny Willekes, a Michigan State football record holder, will be getting another chance to play professional football again.

On Dec. 8, the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL) announced a few roster movements, including one that has many Michigan State football fans rejoicing. Kenny Willekes, the former walk-on turned Burlsworth Trophy winner for the Spartans has another chance in professional football.

The story of Kenny Willekes

Willekes joined Michigan State football as a walk-on in 2015 after a high school career that included 423 tackles and multiple all-conference and all-state honors. That season he redshirted, but quickly made a name for himself. Willekes was named as a Scout Team Player of the Week six different times. The following season, he made his collegiate debut during a 49-0 drubbing of Rutgers, recording a pass breakup on his only four snaps of the season.

Then things took off for Willekes.

From 2017-19, Willekes started all but one game, recording 229 tackles, 51 tackles for loss (a school record), and 26 sacks. He was named All-Big Ten first team in his final two seasons, as well as first-team All-American by the Athletic his junior year, where he was named Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. Combined with his second-team All-Big Ten nod his sophomore season, the edge rusher was one of the most decorated Spartans in recent memory. This culminated in Willikes winning the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best former walk-on, in 2019. 

Despite all of these awards, a great video showcasing his athleticism, and an outstanding reputation as a person, Willekes fell to the seventh round in the 2020 NFL Draft. Willekes was selected by the Minnesota Vikings and looked to impress for the upcoming season. 

Unfortunately, Willekes got injured and was placed on the injured reserve list for the entire 2020 season. The next season, he got to make his NFL debut and played quite well in six games of limited action. He recorded 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks to pair with seven total quarterback hits. Despite those impressive numbers in very limited time, the injury bug again bit Willekes. He was on injured reserve for 2022, re-signed by the Vikings for 2023, but was cut before summer practices even began.

Last we heard of the defensive end, he had a tryout with the Detroit Lions this season. 

Willekes’ next shot

Now, Kenny Willekes will get his next chance. The Michigan Panthers announced a handful of roster moves, including signing Detroit Lions Hard Knocks fan favorite Obinna Eze. Then, they announced the signing of Willekes. He will be hoping to follow the path of Josh Butler, another former Spartan defender who played with the Michigan Panthers. After a standout 2022 season in the USFL, Butler had a chance during the 2023 preseason with the Dallas Cowboys. As of this writing, Butler is still with the Cowboys on their practice squad.

Willekes is reunited with a name we all remember from the end of the Dantonio era of Michigan State football. Brian Lewerke will be one of the quarterbacks that Kenny Willekes will try to chase down during practice. He will be taking reps against another former Spartan, Jarrett Horst, the former No. 1 overall pick of the USFL Draft. Horst’s time did not overlap with Willekes’, however, there is an interesting note between the two. When Horst transferred from Arkansas State after the 2020 season, the Spartans also lost a player in the portal to the Red Wolves. Kenny Willekes’s brother, Charles, transferred away from the Spartans to go down to the Sun Belt school. 

I believe that this is an overdue opportunity for the former Spartan great. Willekes impressed during his short stint in the NFL and deserves another shot. Now, I believe he will tear up the USFL this next season to get that chance.