“I can just say he's had a great camp, he can play at a very high level and he fits in our scheme,” Dantonio said about Williams. “So he's going to be a good player for us, and then we'll have to see whether he does actually start the game or not start the game."

Williams had his best statistical season in 2014 while at Nebraska, racking up 19 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks as a sophomore. Last season, he was instrumental to a Cornhuskers front that ranked in the top 10 nationally in rush defense. Off the field, Williams is a presence for the younger athletes on the team, and in the classroom Williams was a five-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll student. 

Williams even said in his senior speech, which every MSU senior player gives at some point in spring and summer camp and workouts, he felt like he had been here all six years just based on the atmosphere and teammate support he received upon his arrival to campus.

“Nebraska, the other program, that’s always going to be my second home as well,” Williams said. “I have graduated two degrees from there, played five years there and I have my beautiful fiancee still as a cheerleader there, so that’s always going to be a second home to me. But right now, I’m focused on the here and now. I’m a 'Spartan dawg' and I’m ready to go.”

Williams might not wow anyone with his wrap up tackling or his sack numbers, and though the contribution he makes on the field might go unnoticed based on his statline, it is hardly replaceable.

"Kevin is a good football player,” assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said. “He is a veteran. Like I talked about earlier, if you can get a guy that is a fifth year guy, let alone a sixth-year-type guy, they have seen a lot. They understand the game. He plays with great technique and leverage. We expect him to be a great addition to our team."

For comparison, graduated defensive tackle Joel Heath was 11th on the team in total tackles, lowest among starting players for the MSU defense. He only recorded two sacks, but he's currently in the NFL because of his fundamentals and mechanics that made MSU's defense better.

The amount of injuries Williams has suffered through his playing career is a red flag to some, but Williams appears confident in his ability to play and the new atmosphere he has entered in East Lansing.

“I don’t let that type of thing get to me,” Williams said in regards to his past injuries. “I know what I can do. I know my abilities. I’m confident in myself, confident in the guys around me, so I don't pay attention to any of that kind of stuff.”

And it didn’t stop the MSU coaches from pulling the trigger on the talented defensive lineman either, despite possible medical concerns. They knew he could play ball, and being the type of team player he is, would fit well with the Spartans both chemistry wise and schematically.

“They pretty much held up to what we saw, we really looked into them,” Barnett said. “Coach Dantonio, if you haven't figured it out, pays attention to detail. We are going to look at them and look at them again and look at them again and then get them up here, met them, got a feel for the type of person they were, talked to people that knew them. So, we did our investigation on them, so they are who we thought they were."