	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BIG TEN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 18, 2019

Mark Dantonio

Chicago, Illinois

MARK DANTONIO: It's a pleasure to be here. I think it's the 13th season we've been here, so looking forward very much to the beginning of the 2019 season. As was said, we return 20 starters from our football team this year, 50 lettermen. Very exciting, been very, very impressed with the way we've gone about our business since the bowl game, have had great leadership. Our players have responded at every venue in terms of doing their very, very best, and they bring a sense of commitment to our program at this point in time. So we're excited about '19. Looking forward to it. I'll take some questions, and we'll go from there.

Q. You have a new name on the roster, Jayden Reed. Can you discuss what the transfer portal has been like as a coach to go through, and if there's a chance to realign divisions, a second question, do you feel like the league should do that at some point?
MARK DANTONIO: First question, portal has been interesting. I think there's been -- over 2,500 names have been entered in the portal. You almost have to recruit that, as well, as well as your high school seniors. Basically the only individual that we really looked and visited from the portal -- I think you have a need, you'd look to that need to try and satisfy that. We took Jayden, and very excited about his opportunities as he moves forward. He's 3 for 3, and he's an outstanding young player that will be coming to Michigan State.

In regards to the second question, I have not heard about the realignment of the divisions, but I guess change is inevitable, and at some point in time things happen, so I'll just deal with it as it comes.

Q. You have a lot of returning starters on defense, but you lose Khari Willis. How difficult will it be to replace what he did as a communicator on the field, and is Xavier Henderson making progress in that regard?
MARK DANTONIO: Yeah, Khari Willis was an outstanding player for us, is currently with the Colts, and he meant a lot to our football team in general as a leader. He had a tremendous senior year, so we'll miss that. We always miss good players.

But Xavier Henderson is a guy that played as a true freshman, has a tremendous amount of ability, is a four-star player out of Ohio, out of Pickerington. And when you have a guy like Khari, he sort of wears off on you a little bit in terms of the next one up. So I think he's taken on a lot of his habits, and we're very excited about his progress, and he should be an outstanding player. Great ball skills, great range, big, he's gained a little bit of weight. He's about 205 now, but he's played and he has game experience.

We bring back a defense, the top 10 in the country in, I think, five different categories. So we're excited about that opportunity, and that's the reason I brought four defensive players here with us this weekend here, because of the value that has been placed on defense this past year and really the results, what they've been able to do.

Q. The Ohio State game is always a big game for you guys, each other and for Ohio State. You spent time at Ohio State. I'm curious to get your thoughts on Urban Meyer stepping away, Ryan Day taking over the program and just your thoughts on that?
MARK DANTONIO: Yeah, first of all, Urban Meyer has done a tremendous job there. When you think he's lost -- I have two hands, and I think he's only lost eight times. It's amazing over the course of the time since 2012 and the championships that have been won there and the direction that program has gone and what's taken place there.

I've been very impressed with Ryan Day. I've only met him a couple times. Obviously he's had great success on the football field. But I've been impressed with him as a person, too. Down to earth and charismatic. Look forward to the challenges that he brings.

Q. How is progress so far with Brian Lewerke for his senior season?
MARK DANTONIO: Yeah, Brian Lewerke, if you look back at his sophomore year, he's the only player in Michigan State history that passed for over 2,500, ran for over 500, so he was an extremely productive player as a sophomore. Got hit a little bit with the injury bug midway through the season, but I think his confidence is back. He certainly is back and healthy. He's bigger and stronger, he's faster, and he comes into his senior year with a tremendous amount of game experience. With that being said, Rocky Lombardi, our other quarterback, who played a little bit in and out this past year and started some games, is also back and he'll be a redshirt sophomore. So he brings another sense of experience, as well, which is a good option, as well.

They'll compete to some degree, but right now Brian is our number one quarterback, and I expect great things from him and I expect him to return to his sophomore status, and very excited to watch him play.

Q. Can you talk about Jim Bollman's impact, what you've seen in that offensive lineman room, please?
MARK DANTONIO: Yeah, Jim Bollman is a longtime offensive line coach, and we restructured our offensive staff, we basically had put everybody back to our positions of expertise. When we were able to hire Coach Bollman in 2013, he had an immediate impact. He's coached -- I think 44 is the acting number of professional football players in the offensive line, guys that have gone on to the NFL. So he brings a great expertise there, and his teaching progression has been simplified a little bit from what I understand in talking to the players, and I look forward to watching the progress there. But he's a guy that has been able to calm the waters.

Coach Staten goes back to coaching the tight ends, Coach Warner back to the quarterbacks, Coach Salem back to the running backs, and then brought Coach Treadwell back to the wide receivers. All of those guys have coached guys at the highest level. They've all had tremendous success at those positions, and we're looking forward to that production.

Q. Kenny Willekes, how does he go from walk-on to a guy that is the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and a guy who is on all these watch lists? And did you see that when you recruited him?
MARK DANTONIO: You know, it's amazing some of the success guys have had coming to Michigan State and other places about being what I call free agents. Jack Conklin comes as a free agent and becomes the No. 1 pick and All-American player. Kyler Elsworth, same way, and makes the hit in the Rose Bowl and is the MVP of the Rose Bowl.

Kenny Willekes is just another story, great story. Intense guy that came here as a linebacker, transitioned to tight end, sort of the F, worked on scout team for two years, and all of a sudden, he's playing a little bit in '16 and then busts out in 2017, and Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten conference in '18.

He's a guy that is very explosive, very tough, hard worker, prepares, rubs off on everybody around him, and his intensity is contagious. So we're really looking forward to him and the others. He's on this set, I guess, today, so you'll have an opportunity to meet him. But how does that happen? I think it happens with dreams. Our focus this year, our mantra this year will be chase the moment, and it's really about chasing dreams. I think that he's done that and continues to do that at a high level.

Q. We know you are a great motivator. What's the mindset you expect from your team when it's time to face two difficult road games against Ohio State and Michigan?
MARK DANTONIO: Yeah, you know, our schedule sets up with -- what do we have, three home games, then we go away to Northwestern, come back against Indiana, and then we go away to Ohio State and Wisconsin. So that stretch, three out of four road games, is a tough stretch in there, but we'll deal with it. Our mindset is we've won in every one of those stadiums. We've accomplished great things along the way. So we need to get ourselves ready to play in away games. They're great venues. We need to embrace those venues and play to the crowd.

It's exciting. Sometimes you enjoy playing at home, sometimes you enjoy playing away. That's why they have the away games. My mindset and our mindset has always been we will only limit what we can dream on, we can only limit ourselves. Going to an away stadium will be tough. They're all tough. Every game that we play is a tough environment that we play in. So home and away, we'll get ready.

Q. Was it an easy decision to bring Raequan Williams given where he's from, and what can you say about his character and spirit?
MARK DANTONIO: Yea, Raequan is from Chicago, and we've got a lot of reporters here and everything, so I just want you to know his goal and his vision is to be the mayor of Chicago, so we look forward to his campaign.

But Raequan is a tremendous young person. We had numerous guys have to make a decision whether they were going to come back or go out in the NFL Draft, and he was one of those guys. And he made that decision to get his degree and sort of complete his circle in that area. He is a tremendous person, a very caring person, outstanding athlete.

Again, I brought three defensive players. There's a reason behind that. Because I felt like they performed, number one, but otherwise they bring a sense of leadership to our football team, as well. And at this point in time, I felt like that was the right thing to do. But he's a tremendous young person, and I think he rubs off on people. If you have a chance to meet him today, he's a giver, he's a light, and he will do great things beyond football in his life.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297