EAST LANSING — Michigan State’s best defensive end is a former walk-on. This shouldn’t shock anybody. Not even Kenny Willekes, who arrived on campus understanding that at MSU, anyone can be a star, and stars can come from anywhere.
That’s a nice American notion, and it makes for stirring screenplays. But can it make for a stirring national championship?
Head coach Mark Dantonio wants to find out.
The last time he had a team with similar sneaky potential was 2013. That Rose Bowl squad remains Dantonio’s best team, and had there been a playoff that year, his Spartans might have won it.