Just two years ago, people would’ve laughed at the thought of Mark Dantonio being on the hot seat.

Michigan State won three B1G titles from 2010 through 2015 and made an appearance in the College Football Playoff two seasons ago. But things took a turn for the worst in 2016 and Dantonio is now answering some difficult questions.

After a 3-9 year in 2016 and a slew of legal and off-the-field issues, Dantonio’s job doesn’t seem quite as secure as it once did. Pat Forde pegged the Spartans’ head man as one of those most interesting coaches heading into the season. Phil Steele said Dantonio was in “must-win” mode to save his job.

Due to all of the offseason noise, reporters took the chance to ask Dantonio how he felt about his job security at the coach’s Monday press conference. Here’s what Dantonio had to say:

“I feel like I’m a good football coach, I feel like I have good coaches here, I feel like our players believe what we do and we’re all in. That’s the first step. I feel like we’re supported by our administration, and we’ll take it from there.

“But I’m secure in my life. Like I said before, I’m not going to be defined here in the end by how many wins and losses we have. Inevitably you’re going to be defined as how you handle the program in the down times as well as the up times. I’m going to do my best and do what I think is right.”

While there isn’t anything too outlandish or eye-popping in those statements, the general tone suggests that Dantonio understands the pressure he is under in 2017. Not only to get the program back on the right side of the .500 mark, but to keep players out of legal trouble, as well.

Dantonio will be entering his 11th season in East Lansing. During that stretch he’s posted an overall record of 90-42 with a B1G mark of 53-28. He’s had just two losing seasons during his decade-long tenure and has claimed three B1G titles, three division titles, and has finished ranked in the Coaches Poll top 10 on four occasions.

Last season was the first time Dantonio failed to take Michigan State to a bowl game.

It’s hard to say whether this will really be a make-or-break year for Dantonio in East Lansing. But it sure seems like he’s got a lot of pressure to win big this fall.