Justin Willis
 |
 | |
| No. 71 – Prospect | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive Lineman |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 9, 2032 (aged 29) Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) |
| Username: | Cycro |
| Career information | |
| High school: | St. John's Prep (Danvers) |
| College: | Oregon |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Justin Willis (born April 9, 2032) is an American football offensive lineman who is currently preparing to enter the professional ranks.He played college football for Oregon (UO) and has declared his intent to enter the professional ranks next season.
Contents
Early years
Justin Willis was born in Danvers, MA on April 9, 2032. His parents are Adam Willis, a former semi-pro Safety, and Leslie Willis (nee Blake), a gold medal biathlete. As a young child, he gravitated toward basketball and track events but began to focus more on football as he grew into his large frame. He attended St. John's Prep in Danvers, the second ranked school in Massachusetts for Football where he started as a Tight End before transitioning to Center in his Junior year following a large growth spurt. Over the course of his varsity career, Justin played snaps at most OL positions, finding success at Center and Right Guard, as well as bulking out the line on Special Teams. He also spent time during high school coaching youth football and rugby camps and was captain of his recreational rugby team. Following a state championship victory over Catholic Memorial, Justin committed to the University of Oregon.
College career
As a true freshman, Justin was placed second on the depth chart behind starting center Carter Blank and was expected to remain on the bench for the entirety of his freshman season. A startling number of injuries meant that Justin was forced to step into the role of Right Tackle, a position he had played only rarely in High School. Thanks to remarkable coaching and mentoring by senior players, Justin was able to flourish in the role, finishing his freshman year with 10 sacks allowed and 15 pressures. Following his freshman performance, Justin was awareded the starting RT spot for his sophomore year and continued improving, finishing the year with 8 sacks allowed and on 12 pressures. This became his career average over the course of his full 4 years with OU, and he capped off an impressive 0 sack, 10 pressure senior year with 2 TDs, one off a recovered fumble and one from a designed OL passing play.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Offensive Line | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Pressures | Sacks Allowed | Penalties |
| Freshman | UO | 8 | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| Sophomore | UO | 13 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Junior | UO | 13 | 20 | 8 | 6 |
| Senior | UO | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
300 lb (136 kg) |
4.53 s | 4.50 s | 7.74 s | 26.4 in (0.67 m) |
8.5 ft 102.2 in (5.19 m) |
32 reps | 34 |
Season 40
Justin Willis was drafted in the third round at pick 21 of the DSFL Season 40 draft by the Dallas Birddogs. A surprise early OL pick, especially without pre-draft combine and scouting numbers, Willis jumped in feet first in his starting position as LT, posting a strong performance with 57 pancakes (T-4th in the league) and just 3 sacks allowed. Willis would post his season high 8 pancakes in a week 2 victory over the Bondi Beach Buccaneers (41-36). Despite a heartbreaking end to the season, just barely missing the playoffs, Willis and the rest of the Birddogs rookies nonetheless showed great promise to the upper league. Solid development and standout performance during the S40 DSFL led to Willis being drafted in the second round of the S41 ISFL draft by the Cape Town Crash, though it was decided that he would remain in Dallas for another season to develop his professional skills further before entering the upper leagues.
Season 41
Season 41 in the DSFL saw Justin Willis promoted to captain on the Dallas Birddogs, a role that he took seriously with offering mentorship and guidance to the rookies on the team. A focus on fitness and mechanics in the offseason led to a solid increase in his performance at LT, with 71 pancakes and only 2 sacks allowed on the season. His standout performances would come in a crushing week 11 loss to the Grey Ducks (21-41), with 11 pancakes and 0 sacks allowed. Despite strong personal growth, Willis and the Birddogs would post a disappointing 2-11 record coming off of an encouraging Season 40. His individual performance would be good for 4th in the league among all offensive linemen and was an impressive enough performance for him to be called up into the Cape Town roster ahead of Season 42. There he joins ISFL league OL leader Swantavius Payne as part of a power house offensive line that is sure to lead to continued growth for Willis.
Season 42
Season 42 saw Justin Willis receiving the call-up to the big leagues. He entered the season at RT opposite league legend Swantavious Payne, and together they allowed a combined 5 sacks across the entire season. The joke there being that Willis accounted for all 5 of the sacks allowed. He put forward a tough showing over the season, facing down some of the fiercest defensive ends in the league and giving his all, racking up 62 pancakes and only allowing 3 total holding calls on the season. He also showed good game awareness, particularly in the week 5 game against Colorado where quick thinking and fast hands resulted in recovering a fumble off a strip-sack, saving the drive that resulted in a field goal. Despite a valiant effort, Willis and the crash would see a heartbreaking end to the season with a loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Berlin Fire Salamanders in a close, low scoring brawl.
Season 43
Justin Willis spent the vast majority of the offseason ahead of Season 43 in the weight room and in the film room. He came away from Season 42 determined to become a stabilizing force on the offensive line, but despite that grit and determination, Willis would experience what could only be called a disappointing sophomore performance. He would see little improvement in his protection game, increasing his seasonal pancakes by only 2 (up to 64 on the season) and allowing 2 more sacks than his rookie season, letting the defender get home 7 times. He also lacked situational awareness, failing to recover fumbles even when they were caused by a sack that he gave up. Overall, this would feel like a defeating season for the young Tackle. Despite his poor individual performance, Cape Town would still make a run at the playoffs, continuing a streak that Justin is proud to be a part of. He'll look to his mentor and fellow tackle Swanty Payne for guidance in the offseason.
Season 44
Following a disappointing sophomore season, Justin Willis would spend the majority of this offseason coming at his own personal growth from a different perspective. He would spend 6 weeks with a sect of Buddhist monks in Tibet, learning the value of silence, meditation, and self-introspection while also enduring grueling physical trials in the mountains. And by all accounts, that work has paid off in spades. Over the course of the season, Willis put on a respectable performance at RT, exerting his will on defenders and recordings 73 pancakes on the season (9 more than Season 43). While he didn't exactly improve his agility and ability to stop the sack, his allowed sack count also didn't increase, remaining at the same 7 sacks allowed as Season 43. As Cape Town made yet another push into the playoffs, Justin's offseason training really began to show as he locked in with laser focus in the Wildcard and Championship rounds, recording 16 pancakes and 0 sacks combined for those 2 games. His situational awareness showed improvement as well, as he added a fumble recovery in the Championship game to his 2 regular season fumble recoveries in a resume that shows a dogged determination to extend drives even on turnovers.
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Offensive Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2055 (S40) | Birddogs | 14 | 57 | 3 |
| 2056 (S41) | Birddogs | 14 | 71 | 2 |
| 2057 (S42) | Liberty | 16 | 62 | 5 |
| 2058 (S43) | Liberty | 16 | 64 | 7 |
| 2059 (S44) | Liberty | 16 | 73 | 7 |
Achievements and records
Awards
Individual
- DSFL Pro Bowl Selection (1): 2055
- DSFL Pro Bowl Selection (1): 2056
""
