Last summer, Darius Willis was getting ready to make the 1,500-mile journey from his hometown of Houston, Texas to Buffalo. The football prospect, Turner Gill's prize prospect of the Class of 2008 recruiting class, was ready to make an impact.
But when his SAT scores arrived, Willis was dumbfounded. His low scores left him unqualified for the upcoming season.
No football, no college, no journey cross country for an exciting opportunity. His future seemed bleak.
"My first thought was what would I do without football," Willis said. "Reality hit me when I found out I couldn't go to Buffalo. I started wondering what my life was going to be without the sport."
Now enrolled in the school, Willis is attempting to make up for lost time. He hopes to showcase the skill set fans and coaches expected from him last season during the Blue-White Spring Game Saturday at UB Stadium. Willis, who still has four years of eligibility left, hopes to position himself for a starting job at linebacker.
Before academics became an issue, Willis was a star while playing for Eisenhower High School. Recruiting expert Max Emfinger listed him as one of the Top 250 Senior Playmakers in the Class of 2008 before the season. After tallying 130 tackles his senior year, Willis was named second-team All-State in football-crazed Texas.
Besides Buffalo, Willis was offered by Big 12 Conference powers Oklahoma and Texas A&M, along with Houston.
Willis, who alternated between quarterback and linebacker at Eisenhower, was interested in trying out as a signal-caller for the next level. Nicknamed "Baby Daunte" because of his resemblance to NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper, Willis was a big-bodied quarterback that could run by defenders.
Even though scouts saw Willis as a linebacker on the next level, head coach Turner Gill promised the prospect a chance to play quarterback.
Gill's pledge won over Willis. The Houston product became Buffalo's first recruit for the Class of 2008 when he verbally pledged in Sept. 2007.
To Willis, there was only a matter of time until he would head up north to join the squad.
Lost in the shuffle were his academics. When his SAT scores came, Willis quickly reflected on the previous year.
"I started realizing I wasn't doing the things I should have been doing at that time," he said.
Willis had a decision to make regarding his future. Numerous options popped into his head with few enticing the young man. In the end, Willis decided to stay home for the fall and work on becoming eligible.
"A lot of stuff went through my mind when I was sitting at home for the first couple of months," Willis said. "I thought about going to a junior college, but I didn't want to lose two years of eligibility at a JC."
So Willis directed his attention towards the SAT. He worked countless hours to get his score high enough to qualify. Throughout the fall, Willis talked to coaches back in Buffalo once a week. They kept him motivated to do well on his studies.
"They were a little disappointed [in my SAT marks], but they knew I was going to get it together," Willis said. "They wanted me to stay focused on academics and to keep my eye on the prize."
While becoming eligible, Willis made sure he was still in football shape. The linebacker did a lot of running and weight lifting to get his body ready for the pounding of college football. He passed the test and enrolled at Buffalo for this semester.
With two quarterbacks with more experience in Buffalo's system, Willis' focus now is to learn the schemes, impress the coaches and help out Buffalo's linebacker corps. A 6-foot-2-inch, 235 pound beast that runs a blazing 4.6 second 40-yard dash, Willis will provide a physical presence to a group that was undersized and often ineffective against the run.
He is also working on adjusting to the college game.
"I'm working on my eyes the most. Right now the game is running pretty fast for me, something I'm not use to," Willis said.
Willis is working hard to provide the Bulls with a youthful, talented presence. Though he will need to employ a strong effort to get more reps in practice and playing time in the fall, the feeling of being rejected keeps Willis giving his all.
"When I was at home, all I was worried about was playing at the next level," he said. "It motivated me to get through that rough stretch, and it continues to motivate me now."
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
