William Gholston Class: Junior Hometown: Detroit, Mich. High School: Southeastern Height / Weight: 6-7 / 275 Position: DE Experience: 2L

Career Stats | Game-by-Game Statistics: 2010 | 2011

CAREER NOTES: Third-year player will enter his second season as a starting defensive end in 2012 . . . in 23 career games, has 83 tackles, including 17.0 for losses.

2011 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Named to All-Big Ten second team (coaches and media) . . . also named second-team All-Big Ten by Yahoo! Sports . . . selected to the CollegeFootballNews.com All-Sophomore Team (second team) . . . recipient of the team's Danzinger Award for defense (most outstanding Detroit-area player) . . . led Spartan defensive linemen with 70 tackles (5.4 avg.) . . . tied for seventh in the Big Ten with 16.0 tackles for loss (50 yards); that total also ranks tied for seventh in MSU single-season history . . . also tied for 11th in the Big Ten with 5.0 sacks (30 yards) . . . tied a Spartan bowl record with 5.0 tackles for loss (16 yards), including a career-best 2.0 sacks (10 yards), in the 33-30 triple overtime win against No. 18 Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl . . . the 5.0 TFLs tied for the third-highest total in a Spartan game (record: Julian Peterson with 7 vs. Ohio State in 1998) . . . also recovered a fumble and returned it 6 yards in the second quarter against the Bulldogs, and broke up a pass; tied for the team lead with seven tackles overall in the game . . . for his performance, was named to the ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports All-Bowl Team . . . finished eighth in the Big Ten with 40 "impact" tackles (stops that limit opponents to gains of 2 yards or less, including sacks) during the regular season . . . had four tackles against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game . . . registered three tackles, including one for a 1-yard loss, and had a quarterback hurry against Indiana . . . compiled 29 tackles in a two-game span (14 vs. Minnesota; 15 vs. Nebraska), the most in a two-game stretch by a Spartan since Greg Jones in 2009; it also marked the first time since 2000 (Josh Shaw) that a Spartan defensive lineman recorded double-figure tackles in back-to-back games . . . recorded a game-high 14 tackles, including 1.5 for losses (5 yards), and forced a fumble, in the win over Minnesota . . . earned honorable mention College Football Performance Awards Defensive Lineman of the Week accolades after recording a career-high 15 tackles, including 1.5 for losses (7 yards) and one sack (5 yards), at No. 13 Nebraska; his 15 tackles against the Cornhuskers were the most by a Spartan defensive lineman since Josh Shaw had 17 tackles against Wisconsin in 2000 . . . suspended for the Wisconsin game for violating the Big Ten Sportslike Conduct Agreement during the game against Michigan . . . registered three tackles, including 1.5 for losses (5 yards), in MSU's fourth-straight win over Michigan . . . earned honorable mention National College Football Performance Awards Defensive Lineman of the Week accolades after recording a career-high 3.0 tackles for loss (12 yards), including one sack (8 yards), in MSU's 10-7 win at Ohio State; had five tackles overall, two QB hurries, a pass break-up and a career-high 34 production points against the Buckeyes . . . registered one tackle and two quarterback hurries vs. Central Michigan . . . compiled four tackles, including a half tackle for loss, at Notre Dame . . . in his first career start at defensive end, recorded six tackles, including 2.0 for losses (4 yards), in the season opener against Youngstown State.

2010 SEASON (FRESHMAN): Saw action in the first 10 games of the 2010 season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury vs. Minnesota . . . registered 13 tackles and five quarterback hurries . . . recorded a career-high five stops, including a half tackle for loss (1 yard), at No. 18 Iowa . . . posted two tackles, including a half sack for 2 yards, and broke up a pass vs. Illinois . . . made two stops vs. No. 11 Wisconsin . . . credited with two QB hurries vs. Northern Colorado . . . tallied three tackles vs. Florida Atlantic while playing in his hometown, Detroit's Ford Field.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Participated in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Fla. . . . MaxPreps, SuperPrep, PrepStar (Dream Team) and EA SPORTS All-American . . . ranked among the nation's top prospects by Tom Lemming (No. 12), Rivals.com (No. 21), Lindy's (No. 21), Athlon Sports (No. 24), Scout.com (No. 29), ESPNU 150 (No. 42) and Sporting News (No. 60) . . . ranked among the country's top defensive ends by Tom Lemming (No. 3), Rivals.com (No. 3 strongside), Scouts, Inc. (No. 3), Scout.com (No. 4), Lindy's (No. 5), Athlon Sports (No. 5) and Max Emfinger (No. 9) . . . listed among the nation's top defensive linemen by SuperPrep (No. 13) . . . ranked among the Midwest's top prospects by the Detroit Free Press (No. 4) and SuperPrep (No. 4) . . . rated the state's No. 1 senior by The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Rivals.com, Scout.com and Lansing State Journal . . . two-year starter and two-time all-state selection for Coach Donshell English at Southeastern High School in Detroit, Mich., helping the Jungaleers to a combined record of 20-4 (.833) . . . recorded a career-best 115 tackles as a senior, with 44 resulting in losses including 27 sacks . . . forced 10 fumbles and blocked two punts in 2009 . . . posted double-figure tackles in eight games as a senior, including 14 each in back-to-back games vs. Brother Rice and John Glenn . . . tallied 12 tackles vs. King, including four sacks, and forced two fumbles . . . made nine stops vs. Mumford, including four sacks, and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown . . . also had four receptions for 39 yards (9.8 avg.) and two TDs in 2009 . . . registered 101 tackles as a junior, including 37 for losses, while anchoring a defensive unit that recorded six shutouts . . . led the Public School League in tackles (101 - tied) and sacks (15) in 2008 . . . reached double-digit tackles in seven games as a junior, including 13 each vs. Douglass and Cass Tech . . . produced three sacks each vs. Crockett and Ford (also forced two fumbles) . . . caught five passes for 42 yards (8.4 avg.) . . . two-year starter at Mumford High School before transferring to Southeastern . . . made 108 stops, including 19 sacks, and two interceptions as a sophomore . . . had 29 catches for 503 yards (17.3 avg.) and nine TDs in 2007 . . . totaled 75 tackles, including nine sacks, as a freshman . . . also had 26 receptions for 467 yards (17.8 avg.) and five scores in 2006 . . . nicknamed "Too Tall" . . . cousin Vernon Gholston earned All-Big Ten honors at Ohio State before being selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New York Jets . . . born July 31, 1991 . . . no-preference major.

CAREER HIGHS
Tackles: 15, vs. Nebraska (10/29/11)
Tackles for loss: 5, vs. Georgia (1/2/12)
Sacks: 2, vs. Georgia (1/2/12)