Malik Antonio Willis ( ; born May 25, 1999) 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 ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

before transferring to

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, where he won the 2020

Dudley Award The Dudley Award, named after former Virginia running back Bill Dudley, is presented annually by the ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' to honor the top NCAA football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of ...

. Willis was drafted by the Titans in the third round of the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

Early years

Willis attended Westlake High School in Atlanta before transferring to Roswell High School in

Roswell, Georgia Roswell is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States. At the official 2010 census, the city had a population of 88,346. The 2020 estimated population was 94,884, making Roswell the state's ninth largest city. A close suburb of Atla ...

, for his senior year. As a senior, he passed for 2,562 yards and rushed for 1,033 yards with 37 total touchdowns. He committed to

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

to play college football.

College career

Auburn

Willis spent 2017 and 2018 at Auburn and played in 15 games. During the two years, he completed 11 of 14 passes for 69 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 309 yards and two touchdowns.

Liberty

Willis transferred to

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Liberty i ...

in 2019 following a quarterback competition with

Bo Nix Bo Nix (born February 25, 2000) is an American football quarterback for the Oregon Ducks. Nix played with the Auburn Tigers from 2019 to 2021 before transferring to Oregon in 2022. High school career Nix was born on February 25, 2000, in Arka ...

and sat out the season due to transfer rules. In 2020, he was named the team's starting quarterback. Against Southern Mississippi, he threw for six touchdowns and rushed for another. Willis was named the winner of the 2020

, given to the best college football player in the state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and was the recipient of the 2021 Bobby Bowden Award, awarded to the best college football player who epitomizes being a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

student-athlete. He was named MVP of the 2020 Cure Bowl and the

2021 LendingTree Bowl The 2021 LendingTree Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 18, 2021, and televised on ESPN. It was the 23rd edition of the LendingTree Bowl, and was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Onli ...

Statistics

Professional career

Willis was drafted in the third round (86th overall) of the

by the

. He was considered a surprise fall in the draft as he was projected by some to be selected as high as second overall. He signed his four-year rookie contract on July 23, 2022.

2022 season

Willis made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the

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

in the third quarter after the Titans benched

Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...

. He completed one of his four passing attempts while throwing for six yards and rushed for 16 yards in the 41–7 loss. Willis was named as a starter in Week 8 against the Texans, relieving Ryan Tannehill due to illness. In his first start, Willis completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 55 yards and one interception in a 17–10 victory. Willis started in place of an injured Tannehill for a second consecutive week in Week 9 against the Chiefs. He completed 5 of his 16 passing attempts for 80 yards in the 20–17 overtime loss.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Willis’ uncle is 10-year NFL linebacker

James Anderson James Anderson may refer to: Arts *James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor *James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer *James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor * James Anderson (filmmaker) ...

References

External links

* *
Tennessee Titans bio

Liberty Flames bio

Auburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Malik 1999 births Living people African-American Christians African-American players of American football American football quarterbacks Auburn Tigers football players Liberty Flames football players Players of American football from Atlanta Tennessee Titans players