Michigan State football's Kenny Willekes accepts the Burlsworth Trophy as the nation's best to start as a walk-on on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. Detroit Free Press
Kenny Willekes never felt like he needed to leave home to get the training he needed.
Little did he know when he left Michigan State football to prepare for the NFL draft just what that meant.
Part of it was to work out in Grand Rapids at PowerStrength Training, which helped build Willekes from an unknown high school player to MSU walk-on to a two-time All-American defensive end. But part of it also was to spend time with his close-knit family before taking his next step into professional football.