On Dec. 30, 2016, Auburn picked up an under-the-radar commitment from three-star quarterback Malik Willis. To this point in the spring, Willis has been one of the more impressive Auburn newcomers.
Willis, who de-committed from Virginia Tech one day before his pledge to Auburn, racked up 2,562 passing yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior at Roswell (Ga.) High School. The dual-threat quarterback also ran for 1,033 yards and 10 scores, leading Roswell to a berth in the 7A Georgia State championship. He was named the Class 7A Region 4 Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Willis, who was one of Auburn’s eight early enrollees, is unlikely to crack the first-team unit this fall, but his teammates and coaches are already raving about the star athlete. He is even drawing comparisons to former Auburn star quarterback Nick Marshall.
“He reminds me a little bit of Nick Marshall with the way he runs and the way he throws the football,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “Malik’s got a very strong arm, and that’s really what stands out to me right now.”
During Auburn’s first spring scrimmage, Willis threw touchdown passes to Darius Slayton and John Franklin III. Willis is competing with redshirt freshman Woody Barrett for a backup role this fall.
“(Willis) is a stud, there’s no doubt about it,” senior center Austin Golson said. “He’s going to be really good. He kind of reminds me a lot of Nick. He can run and make plays whenever plays might not be there. I’m really excited about his future.”
The similarities between Willis and Marshall extend farther than just their playmaking ability. Willis also wears No. 14, the number that Marshall donned during his days at Auburn.
“I think Malik is going to be a really good player,” Auburn junior quarterback Sean White said. “He has a lot of potential to him. He’s really athletic and has a really good attitude. I really like him a lot. He’s come to learn and he’s a good player.”
“He wears 14 out there so everybody is comparing him to Nick. He has a lot of similarities playing-wise to how Nick used to play.”
Also like Marshall, Willis spent the majority of his high school career playing defensive back. He did not make the full-time move to quarterback until his senior season. With just one year under center under his belt, Malzahn and new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey have a sensational athlete that they can mold how they want.
“We really felt like, as a staff, if this guy had been playing quarterback for two to three years, he’d been one of the tops in the country,” Malzahn said.
Willis will split reps with the rest of the quarterbacks in Auburn’s final scrimmage of the spring. Auburn’s A-Day scrimmage on Saturday will be at 1 p.m. CST on the SEC Network.
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