The question has loomed at Michigan State for more than a year now. How does a program fueled by proving doubters wrong continue to improve when they’ve left little room for doubt? Now that expectations have finally caught up to the overachieving Spartans, how do they meet them?

For defensive end Shilique Calhoun, it’s an easy answer. He and the rest of his senior class were part of the group that earned this new reputation at Michigan State, and they intend to take care of it as long as they can. Calhoun, who put a future NFL career on hold this year to take a shot at a national championship, explained the logic in his own unique way.

“It’s like when you finally get to buy your first pair of shoes,” Calhoun said Tuesday after the team’s first day of spring practice. “Your mom has been paying for shoes for so long, and it’s been easy. You like the shoes, and they’re nice shoes, but you’ll probably get them dirty in a week. But when you finally put your money toward it and you pay for them yourself you’re like, ‘Man I’ve got to make these last.’”

This year’s senior class is the last group of Spartans that was around when the team started scrounging up spare change to buy its own shoes. Michigan State finished 7-6 – two games below .500 in Big Ten play – during Calhoun’s first season on the field in 2012. They’re the last that can remember what it’s like to end a season before Jan. 1.

Complacency doesn’t usually set in until those who paved the road to success are gone. That’s why developing senior leaders and making sure they pass on the chip-on-the-shoulder work ethic is a crucial focus for Michigan State this season.

“I think the seniors will play a huge role,” Calhoun said. “Not that they didn’t play a huge role last year and the year before that, but I feel like this will be our biggest senior leadership class that will contribute to the team and contribute to our success.”

Calhoun’s decision to return to school gave the Spartan a good head start on developing that leadership on defense. Quarterback Connor Cook, who made the same choice as Calhoun, and a handful of veterans linemen give the offense a good base as well. Coach Mark Dantonio said he’s optimistic about the group but still needs to push them to lead this spring.

“We have a senior class that probably has as much experience as we've had since we've been here,” Dantonio said. “Just because you're becoming a senior doesn't mean you're necessarily going to lead. You have to be forced into those positions, and that sort of just turns. These guys are sophomores when we won the Rose Bowl. And now they have to assume a leadership position. I think it's a natural progression, but they have to work on it.”

Calhoun’s work on the field this spring will focus on trying to become a more consistent playmaker. He became a household name in the Big Ten early in that Rose Bowl season in 2013. He started the year with three defensive touchdowns in the first two games, making him the team’s temporary leader in points scored. The next season brought a slower start as Calhoun struggled to be a consistent disruptor in the early part of last fall. He said he plans to spend the next month working on ways to create plays on a regular basis.

“[I could] probably be faster off the line and be more efficient with my moves,” he said. “I don’t need to add any more, just efficiency is probably going to be another big component.”

Calhoun said he wants to be a player the rest of the defense can look to when they have questions or need to stay together. The rest of the defensive line will be populated by new starters and players settling into unfamiliar positions -- former defensive tackle Lawrence Thomas started spring opposite Calhoun as the other first-string defensive end.

The group is still expected to be a strong point for a unit that has to rebuild in certain places after finishing last season with the No. 1 rushing defense in the country. Meeting expectations and upholding a reputation, of course, is something Calhoun and company are used to doing.

“That’s how we want it to be,” he said. “We always want to be the strength of our defense. It’s what we pride ourselves on. It starts up front”