Malik Willis
American football player (born 1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malik Antonio Willis (/məˈliːk/ mə-LEEK; born May 25, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and Liberty Flames, winning the 2020 Dudley Award with the latter. Willis was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft and traded to the Packers in 2024.
Willis with the Tennessee Titans in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 – Green Bay Packers | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | May 25, 1999 College Park, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Roswell (Roswell, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | |||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022: 3rd round, 86th pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
Willis attended Westlake High School in Atlanta before transferring to Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, for his senior year.[1] As a senior, he passed for 2,562 yards and rushed for 1,033 yards with 37 total touchdowns. A three star recruit, he committed to Auburn University to play college football.[2][3]
College career
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Perspective
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.[4][5]
Liberty
Willis transferred to Liberty University in 2019 following a quarterback competition at Auburn with Bo Nix and sat out the season due to transfer rules.[6] In 2020, he was named the team's starting quarterback.[7] Against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, he threw for six touchdowns and rushed for another. Willis was named the winner of the 2020 Dudley Award, given to the best college football player in the state of Virginia, and was the recipient of the 2021 Bobby Bowden Award, awarded to the best college football player who epitomizes being a Christian student-athlete.[8][9][10] He was named MVP of the 2020 Cure Bowl and the 2021 LendingTree Bowl.[11]
College statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2017 | Auburn | 7 | 0 | 0–0 | 6 | 7 | 85.7 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 186.9 | 16 | 221 | 13.8 | 1 |
| 2018 | Auburn | 5 | 0 | 0–0 | 5 | 7 | 71.4 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 100.2 | 12 | 88 | 7.3 | 1 |
| 2019 | Liberty | did not play due to NCAA transfer rules | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | Liberty | 10 | 10 | 9–1 | 170 | 265 | 64.2 | 2,250 | 20 | 6 | 155.8 | 141 | 944 | 6.7 | 14 |
| 2021 | Liberty | 13 | 13 | 8–5 | 207 | 339 | 61.1 | 2,857 | 27 | 12 | 151.1 | 197 | 878 | 4.5 | 13 |
| Career | 35 | 23 | 17–6 | 388 | 618 | 62.8 | 5,176 | 48 | 18 | 152.9 | 366 | 2,131 | 5.8 | 29 | |
Professional career
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Perspective
Tennessee Titans
Willis was drafted in the third round (86th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans.[15] He was considered a surprise fall in the draft as he was projected by some to be selected as high as second overall.[16][17] He signed his four-year rookie contract on July 23, 2022.[18]
Willis made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter after the Titans benched Ryan Tannehill. He completed one of his four passing attempts while throwing for six yards and rushed for 16 yards in the 41–7 loss.[19] Willis was named as a starter in Week 8 against the Houston Texans, relieving Tannehill due to illness.[20] In his first start, Willis completed 6 of 10 pass attempts for 55 yards and one interception in a 17–10 victory.[21] Willis started in place of an injured Tannehill for a second consecutive week in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs.[22] He completed 5 of his 16 passing attempts for 80 yards in the 20–17 overtime loss.[23] In Week 16 against the Texans, Willis started in place of Tannehill, who had aggravated an ankle injury. In the contest, he completed 14 of 23 passes for 99 passing yards and two interceptions as the Titans lost, 19–14.[24]
Green Bay Packers
On August 26, 2024, Willis was traded to the Green Bay Packers for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[25]
After Jordan Love's injury in the season opener, Willis became the starter just weeks after joining the Packers.[26] In his first start, Willis completed 12-of-14 passes for 122 yards, including his first career touchdown pass, and added 41 rushing yards to secure a 16–10 win against the Indianapolis Colts.[27][28] In his second start, Willis passed for 202 yards with a touchdown and led the team in rushing with 73 yards and a rushing touchdown in a 30–14 victory over his former team, the Tennessee Titans.[29] With Love healthy, Willis did not appear again until Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading the Packers to a game-winning drive after Love departed with a groin injury in the second half.[30]
NFL career statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | Yds | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | TEN | 8 | 3 | 1–2 | 31 | 61 | 50.8 | 276 | 4.5 | 48 | 0 | 3 | 42.8 | 27 | 123 | 4.6 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 49 | 3 | 2 |
| 2023 | TEN | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 5 | 80.0 | 74 | 14.8 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 118.8 | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | GB | 7 | 2 | 2–0 | 40 | 54 | 74.1 | 550 | 10.2 | 51 | 3 | 0 | 124.8 | 20 | 138 | 6.9 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 18 | 5 | 3–2 | 75 | 120 | 62.5 | 900 | 7.5 | 51 | 3 | 3 | 83.3 | 52 | 282 | 5.4 | 29 | 2 | 22 | 116 | 5 | 4 | |
Personal life
Willis' uncle is 10-year NFL linebacker James Anderson.[31]
Willis was raised as and remains a Christian. Most of his social media posts conclude with "TGFE," short for "Thank God for Everything."[32]
References
External links
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