re: 2017 Football Recruiting Thread ["N$D Bryant" Edition]

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That’s Malik. The 3-star prospect who barely attended camps. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete who maybe or maybe wasn’t wanted as a quarterback by schools. That’s him taking over when his team needed a leader, against a defense loaded with next-level talent.

“Just so calm, collected. Nothing you can teach. Completely un-rattled,” then-Roswell coach John Ford said. “The moment was never too big for him.”

Overtime ended with an unfavorable result for Willis & Co. Grayson made its field goal. Roswell missed its attempt. For the second time in his QB career, Willis lost. But that wasn’t the takeaway most grabbed from that night.

It was that Willis — 21-2 in his season-and-a-half as a varsity quarterback — deserved to be in the same conversation with the likes of Jake Fromm, Davis Mills, Trevor Lawrence and the other elite signal-callers from Georgia. Willis finished his high school career with 3,318 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 1,725 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns against the toughest competition in the state.

Coaches who might’ve erred on the side of caution before had no choice but to take notice.

“He’s not done learning. That’s something Coach (Gus) Malzahn and Coach (Rhett) Lashlee was also attracted to — his upside,” Mark Willis said. “Malzahn was like, ‘If he was playing the position at this high of a level his full sophomore and junior year, he’d be a top guy in the country. I told him I’m glad it happened the way it did. That’s where his character comes from. That’s where his work ethic comes from.”

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They watched the Colquitt County game early in the season. They reviewed the North Cobb semifinal game against Auburn linebacker commit Chandler Wooten. And, of course, they witnessed the title game against Grayson.

The Auburn offensive staffers were mesmerized by Willis’ progression as a quarterback, and they didn’t wait to tell him.

“Over the phone, it was just excitement in their voices,” Willis said. “They said they liked my skill set, my ability to throw and run. They said I fit the offense perfectly. They’ve got Sean (White), John (Franklin), Jarrett (Stidham), all those people. But they said they like my fit and skill set.”

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Four years ago, John Ford made multiple trips to Auburn to discuss the development of his playbook with Gus Malzahn and Tim Horton. That gives you a proper idea of the playbook Willis orchestrated during his senior season. By the end of the season, John Ford felt like Willis picked it up better than most quarterbacks who have used it.

That will make Willis’ transition to Auburn much simpler.

“It’s going to make it easier to lock into the Auburn offense. It’s just terminology really. They run a lot of the same plays. The inside zone. A lot of play-action. All that. I’ve just got to find the terminology and match it with my old terminology, and I’ll be straight,” Willis said. “I’m ready to just get into the playbook.”

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Stidham, White and Franklin all have the Power 5 experience. Barrett and Queen don’t have that, but they both are mobile with big-armed ability that should make them conversation starters this offseason. Willis is garnering comparisons to Cam Newton and Nick Marshall — logical associations for athletic Auburn quarterbacks. The only difference: Willis is much further along than both of those were as passers when they left high school.

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