'09 MD S Malcolm Willis (Penn State Verbal)

[GoRU]

'09 MD S Malcolm Willis



Safety
Indian Head (MD) Lackey

Ht: 5-foot-11
Wt: 206 lbs
Forty: 4.64 secs
Bench max: 310 pounds
Squat max: 585 pounds
GPA: 3.75
Class: 2009 (High School)

[PSU42Fan]

Scout.com: Penn State Offers Willis

Seems excited about the Penn State offer.

Looks like we're pressing hard into Maryland this year as well.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

3/11

By Farrell...talks about receiving the PSU offer last month. Also hearing from Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Connecticut and Rutgers and grew up a fan of Florida State.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

4/7

From BWI...PSU is his lone offer but he has been in contact with Illinois, Ohio State, aryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina, Duke Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville and LSU. After this weekend's visit PSU tops his list.

[FrankBooth]

Same HS as JB Walton, and not far from where LJ Sr coached. That can't hurt PSU's chances.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

4/29

Has committed to Penn State.

[wadc45]

Scout.com: Willis Wants to be a Lion

By Cory James
FightOnState.com
Posted Apr 29, 2008

Maryland safety commits to Penn State, becoming the second member of the Class of 2009.

Continued...

[PSU42Fan]

Solid pickup.

We will need more talent at DB in this class, however.

[AustinScottistheone]

Congratulations to Malcolm...definitely happy to have him on board. I hope he can improve his speed just a little bit and not end up growing into a LB; I really like him at safety once he gets a few things down. We definitely need 3 preferably 4 CBs in this class, and I am hoping Jordan Love will make that decision and become one of them soon.

Malcolm Willis Junior season:

Willis finished the year with 95 tackles, three forced fumbles, one recovery and three interceptions including one for a touchdown. He added 98 carries for 637-yards along with 1,120-yards passing and 17 offensive touchdowns on the season.

[Undercover Brother]

Originally Posted by PSU42Fan

Solid pickup.

We will need more talent at DB in this class, however.

Not sure about that. To me, he might have been a throw away offer to entice Givens to come to PSU. JMO. Not too enamored with this verbal. Hope he proves me wrong. Kid from Maryland with no Maryland offer, let alone another offer from anyone else ... that tells me something

[wadc45]

Rivals $

4/30

From BWI...Q&A with Malcolm about his decision, the process, etc.

[wadc45]

Lackey Defeats Westlake in Crucial SMAC Football Matchup - washingtonpost.com

Lackey's mobile quarterback, Malcolm Willis, had started the game, but the Wolverines' defense crowded the box and keyed on stopping the run. When Coach Doug Lamb put Amir Smith, a more traditional passer, under center the results were immediate.

[AustinScottistheone]

Morelli OnLion: Squeezing the Orange

Malcolm Willis is our final featured
member of the Class of 2009. (Photo
courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Willis, the No. 68-ranked strong safety prospect in the country by Rivals.com, is a versatile athlete, racking up a team-high 454 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground at the running back position at Lackey his senior season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Willis also led Lackey with 99 tackles (66 solo) and three interceptions.

For his efforts, he was named to the Washington Post’s honorable mention all-Metro team, was selected to the first team all-conference and all-county teams, and was invited to play in Maryland’s Crab Bowl in December.

For all of Willis’ versatility, he will begin his career at Penn State as a safety, a position that his head coach, Doug Lamb, seemed to think would fit him well.

“He plays safety for us, and I think that’s where they like him right now,” he said. “The kid has played inside backer, he’s played outside backer for us. He’s one of those hybrid guys, because of his height and his weight. He’s kind of a tweener — he plays safety but he hits like a linebacker.

“With a lot of teams playing spread, and more and more teams in the Big Ten, like Michigan and Rich Rodriguez playing the spread, he’s a good tweener in nickel situations where he can come in and cover and also be comfortable in space with open-field tackles. How they’ll use him, I don’t know, but they’re getting one heck of an athlete and one heck of a student of the game. He’s definitely one of the smartest kids I’ve coached in the classroom and on the field.”

With Penn State’s coaching staff extending the first offer to Willis, he said it played a big role in his decision making process, much like teammate and close friend Darrell Givens, who ultimately ended up picking Penn State as well.

“Really, what played a major part, was that they trusted in me enough, or believed in me enough, that they would be my first offer. I really took that to heart,” Willis said in April. “I know, from talking to Darrell Givens, because his first offer was Ohio State, he was telling me that after Ohio State offered, then everybody else wanted to offer.

“So Penn State, when they were the first ones to offer, that gave them points in my book because they know what they want, and they’re trying to go get it before anybody else. They weren’t going to wait until someone else offered.”