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Donald Willis
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’1’’
Weight: 202
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
247 Sports Composite Rating: .8626
Power 5 Scholarship Offers: Boston College, Illinois, Iowa State, Purdue, Rutgers, and West Virginia
Spring Enrollee: No
Scouting Report
Willis is a sure tackler who can make plays in space. He excels as an edge rusher — when he blitzes, opposing quarterbacks don’t have long before he finds them — but he also has the speed and athleticism to drop into coverage and has even lined up at safety for his high school team. His pass coverage technique is a work in progress though.
Potential Impact
The Gophers are nearing a changing of the guard at linebacker, as Thomas Barber, Kamal Martin, and converted linebacker, now rush end, Carter Coughlin will all be seniors this fall. The next wave of linebackers will be led by sophomores Thomas Rush and Mariano Sori-Marin and redshirt freshman Braelen Oliver. Willis has a chance to be part of that, and could see the field as early as this fall, even if only as a special teams contributor.