Kenny Willekes arrived at Michigan State as an unheralded, zero-star recruit who joined the program as walk-on.
The redshirt junior defensive end is now the Big Ten's Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year, it was announced Tuesday night.
Willekes has 20.5 tackles for a loss, which leads the Big Ten, ranks seventh in the nation and is the second-highest single-season total in program history, trailing only Julian Peterson's 30 in 1999. He has 76 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
At 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, the former standout at Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian is the second Spartan to be named the Big Ten's top defensive lineman, following Shilique Calhoun in 2013.