Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun will return to college next season, the first-team All-Big Ten performer said in something of a surprise announcement Sunday.
"I love being a part of this group, and I love playing under Coach D (Mark Dantonio)," Calhoun said, according to mlive.com. "The decision boiled down to who I have above me, teaching me and guiding me. I've got unfinished business at Michigan State."
Based on the photo released by the Spartans football program, nobody is happier about the news than MSU coach Mark Dantonio.
"He has the opportunity to be a top 15 or top 20 pick next year, and that will pay dividends. It did for Darqueze Dennard," said Dantonio, referring to the former Spartans cornerback who stayed for his senior season and was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. "Shilique is a guy who is solidified as a starter and a star player for us."
Calhoun was all over the field for the Spartans this season, making 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He also was credited with eight quarterback hurries, a 38-yard fumble return and even a blocked kick. But while many fans expected Calhoun to use the season as a springboard to the NFL, Calhoun himself cautioned throughout the fall that such an assumption would be premature.
Calhoun is among the most high-profile underclassmen to announce they will return to college in 2015, along with teammate and quarterback Connor Cook, Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman, Notre Dame defensive lineman Sheldon Day, USC quarterback Cody Kessler and West Virginia safety Karl Joseph.
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