Damion Lakeith Willis (born June 20, 1997) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver for the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

and signed with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2019.

Early life and high school

Willis was born Jackson, MS, and moved to

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the count ...

at the age of 2. He was raised by a single mother who worked as a hospice nurse. Willis attended and played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

at Southeast Lauderdale High School. He registered at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his final three seasons playing for the Tigers. As a senior, Willis had 48 catches with 1,154 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns and was named First-team MHSAA 3A All-State. Southeast Lauderdale retired his number in 2019.

College career

Despite receiving offers from

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

and

Louisiana-Monroe The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Ce ...

, Willis opted to begin collegiate career at

East Mississippi Community College East Mississippi Community College (EMCC), formerly East Mississippi Junior College, is a public community college in Scooba, Mississippi. EMCC serves and is supported by Clay, Kemper, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties in ...

, playing sparingly in his freshman year. As a sophomore, he led the Lions with 620 receiving yards and 18.2 yards per catch while finishing second on the team with six touchdown receptions and third with 34 catches. Willis transferred to

Troy University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...

, which had recruited him out of high school, for the remaining two seasons of his eligibility. In his first season with the Trojans, Willis started eight games and finished the season with 42 receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns and was named honorable mention All-

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

. He caught a

New Orleans Bowl The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to ...

record 11 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns against North Texas. Willis was named first-team All-Sun Belt as a senior after catching 56 passes for 876 yards and a conference-best 10 touchdowns, despite missing two and a half games due to injury.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Willis signed with the

as an

on April 28, 2019. He made his NFL debut on September 8, 2019, against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, starting in place of injured receiver

A. J. Green Adriel Jeremiah Green (born July 31, 1988) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Bulldogs football, Georgia and was drafted by the Cincinnati ...

and making three receptions for 30 yards. He was waived October 23, 2019, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. The Bengals promoted Willis back up to the active roster on November 15, 2019. On December 3, 2019, Willis was waived by the Bengals and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted back to the active roster on December 10, 2019. Willis finished his rookie season with nine receptions for 82 yards in ten games played (two starts). Willis was placed on the active/

physically unable to perform list Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...

at the start of training camp on July 29, 2020, and activated from the list five days later. Willis was waived on August 25, 2020.

Cleveland Browns

Willis was claimed off waivers by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on August 26, 2020. He was waived four days later with a failed physical designation.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 7, 2020, Willis signed with the practice squad of the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021.

Denver Broncos

On May 18, 2021, Willis signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. He was waived on July 20, 2021.

New York Giants

On July 31, 2021, Willis signed with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 3.

Washington Football Team

Willis signed with the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

's practice squad on October 5, 2021. He was released on November 23, 2021.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On December 28, 2021, Willis was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

to the practice squad. He was released on January 7, 2022.

Seattle Sea Dragons

On November 17, 2022, Willis was drafted by the

Seattle Sea Dragons The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Originally founded ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

. The Sea Dragons folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Memphis Showboats

On January 15, 2024, Willis was selected by the Memphis Showboats in the UFL Super Draft.

References

External links

Washington Football Team bioTroy Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Damion 1997 births Living people American football wide receivers Troy Trojans football players Cincinnati Bengals players East Mississippi Lions football players Players of American football from Meridian, Mississippi Cleveland Browns players Jacksonville Jaguars players Denver Broncos players New York Giants players Pittsburgh Steelers players Washington Football Team players Seattle Sea Dragons players