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2017 3* Dual QB Malik Willis Commits to AU!!! 12/30/16


TexasTiger

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30 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

And Malik isn't Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson....

 Correct, he's Malik. And no one knows yet how he will pan out, but he appears to be the best available option.

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12:1 td/into ratio in the playoffs. Fast and experienced with the read. If developed correctly he looks like he could be a good QB. He is also one point away from being a 4*, I believe. 

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7 minutes ago, Charhair said:

He is also one point away from being a 4*, I believe. 

On 247 only. On the composite he is much further than that.

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WDE and welcome to the plains Malik.He already looks better than some QB's we have had recently,he doesn't look as fast as Nick Marshall but he already may be a better passer and he looks good with his ball handling in the zone read.:wareagle:

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27 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

 Correct, he's Malik. And no one knows yet how he will pan out, but he appears to be the best available option.

Well our best available option throws a ball that his WRs have to wait for. His rating fits. Baker was much more advanced than this at this point. Apples to Oranges really. 

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4 minutes ago, ellitor said:

 

Thank ya kind sir!! this is big time! you got the clutch gene! haha This kid sounds promising. Not gonna lie. Never knew anything about him till yesterday.

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Free scouting report from Keith FWIW

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Back in August, AuburnUndercover.com watched new Auburn quarterback commit Malik Willis of Roswell (Ga.) play a preseason game against Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes. Today, I’ll share my thoughts from his performance that night, then talk about his play in the final game of the season for comparison.

Okay, let’s start with the Willis we saw in August …

-The first thing you noticed was his footwork and footspeed. He moved extremely well, both in and out of the pocket. Like former Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall, he seemed to be a step faster than everyone else on the field. But it wasn’t just straight-line speed. He could stop and start well — and accelerate in a hurry. That was impressive.

-He not only made plays on designed runs, but if something broke down he always got his team positive yardage. That more than anything is what reminded me of Marshall. His elusiveness helped him in the open field a lot. His one-cut ability was at times lethal.

-Although he didn’t pass much, Willis displayed a strong arm and a fairly quick release. Sometimes, his throwing motion was a little long and loose yet the ball typically flew off his hands with good spin.

-I didn’t notice this at the time (again, Roswell didn’t throw a lot), but when looking at video from that night, you clearly see Willis do a nice job going through some progressions. He saw the field well and if something wasn’t there he went to an alternate receiver or took off running. His decision-making was strong.

-When talking with his coach, John Ford, he told us if Willis has something he needs to work on, it's keeping his balance and mechanics in order when under duress. When watching video from this scrimmage, you do see some of that. A few times, we saw Willis roll and face pressure, and his motion wasn’t as pure as normal. So that is something you’ll want to see improve.

-Overall, I was impressed with Willis, but maybe not blown away. That’s mainly because while it was obvious he could run with the best dual-threats in the country I didn’t see enough in the passing game to have any strong opinion. That wasn’t his fault. The game wasn’t close so he didn’t throw much. When he did, it was usually a catch-and-throw to the sideline, which most quarterbacks can do.

http://www.hudl.com/v/17uDzp

***

Four months later, Willis played in the state championship against Grayson. His team lost 23-20 in overtime. Wanting to see what type of strides Willis made, I figured this would be the game to watch. Not only was it the final prep game of his career, but it came on a big stage at the Georgia Dome against a nationally ranked opponent.

In that game, Willis led Roswell on a 70-yard drive in the final 58 seconds to send it to overtime.

Per NorthFulton.com, “Willis completed five of six passes and rushed for nine yards to set up Roswell at the Grayson 20-yard line with just five seconds remaining. With just one shot remaining for Roswell to force overtime, Willis found Kentrell Barber on a slant pattern inside the 5-yard line where Barber hauled in the pass and avoided a Grayson defender to score a remarkable, final-play touchdown.”

Willis finished 19-of-30 passing for 261 yards and two touchdowns and added 40 rushing yards. The Auburn staff was there to watch.

After watching video of that game, here are some general thoughts …

-Willis made quick, smart decisions. When he had time, he was patient and found the open man. More often than not he then delivered an accurate, crisp throw to his target. His velocity appeared to be solidon most throws we saw.

-In a clean pocket, he displayed excellent footwork and field vision. On one play, his line gave him perfect protection but it took awhile for anyone to get open. Instead of jetting off, he stayed patient and found his receiver — who had hit a gap in the secondary. It wasn’t his best throw in terms of velocity but it got the job done.

-On his 26-yard touchdown strike, Willis completed the pass with just the right amount of air under it on a corner route to the end zone. It's hard to be too critical, but to nit-pick a little you would have liked to see the ball just a little more to the outside. The cornerback was off-balance and never had a chance because he got turned around. In Willis’ defense, he might have spotted that. Also, he knew his receiver had a solid height advantage over the defender. To be clear, it wasn’t a bad throw at all.

-On a couple longer passes, one in particular down the sideline, his ball placement was perfect.

-We liked his velocity on the quick out along with his decisiveness. His throws typically left his hand before the receiver broke to the ball. We did notice on one throw, however, his motion was a little slower than the others as he locked in on the receiver. A college corner might have spotted that and jumped the route.

-On one play where the pocket collapsed, you saw Willis at his best as he quickly sprinted away from the defenders. He recognized that wasn’t a time to be patient in the pocket.

-A play that stood out came at the 3:03 mark of the video. Willis had two receivers to the left on the boundary side, with three defensive backs in the area. Grayson jammed one receiver, who then ran a post, occupying both the corner and a safety. That left the second receiver with man coverage and a little cushion at the sideline. Willis recognized this quickly and threw a quick strike for a 10-yard completion.

-When faced with heat on two screen passes, Willis kept his poise and made accurate throws with touch even as defenders flew in his face. This seemed to be a general theme. Willis just looked poised snap after snap and in control. While he played well in the scrimmage as we noted, Willis just looked more in command of things four months later.

http://www.hudl.com/v/17uN5t

***

In sum, Willis certainly seems to have some potential at the quarterback position, especially in an offense that utilizes dual-threat quarterbacks. His legs not only can create big plays but keep a defense honest because of his threat to run. In the passing game, he can make most if not all of the throws. To be honest, he’s a little more polished than we thought and certainly came a long way in four months.

Is Willis, a high 3-star, due for a bump up? It's possible.

But as an early enrollee, his focus won't be on impressing recruiting analysts, but quickly getting acclimated at Auburn.

 

 

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18 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

Well our best available option throws a ball that his WRs have to wait for. His rating fits. Baker was much more advanced than this at this point. Apples to Oranges really. 

What do you suggest?

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As we have noted many times lately, the * ratings on HS QBs is of dubious validity......sometimes affected by where the kid commits and sometimes based on HS opposition that does not stretch their capability.    If you look around the number of busts of top 10HS QBs is greater than those who lived up to the hype. 

Thus....guy seems to know how to pass the ball reasonably well and has good size and speed.   I'm happy to see him coming to AU.   We have numbers right now...but not sure how many "players" we have at the QB position to take us across the next 4 years. 

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One more thing. I know it's high school ball but props to Willis on elevating his game as a passer at money time.

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Willis was especially good in the playoffs. In four games, he completed 70 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and one interception.

 

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I hate when we project a kid to leave early, before he ever starts a game. Our prognostication has been skewed on those kids lately. 

I just want to see Stidham throw a TD pass first, before we assign him a draft spot. 

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1 minute ago, Dixie1860 said:

I hate when we project a kid to leave early, before he ever starts a game. Our prognostication has been skewed on those kids lately. 

I just want to see Stidham throw a TD pass first, before we assign him a draft spot. 

Had no idea we had Malik already project for a draft spot..........sorry couldn't resist

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He was very good in the playoffs this year. 

Led a 00:58 70 yard TD drive to send the final against Grayson into OT.

Roswell has a big OT we are close to offering perhaps. Big kid.

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1 minute ago, Dixie1860 said:

I hate when we project a kid to leave early, before he ever starts a game. Our prognostication has been skewed on those kids lately. 

I just want to see Stidham throw a TD pass first, before we assign him a draft spot. 

Not assigning nor projecting. Just being real about what he hopes to do if things go well.

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Just now, augolf1716 said:

Had no idea we had Malik already project for a draft spot..........sorry couldn't resist

You know what I mean. That was a reference to JJ somewhat. I just don't want to jinx Stidham. 

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Just now, ellitor said:

Not assigning nor projecting. Just being real about what he hopes to do if things go well.

I understand. I have just become a tad superstitious in this regard. Nothing personal. I hope he kills it!

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2 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Had no idea we had Malik already project for a draft spot..........sorry couldn't resist

Well it is kind of curious.....folks declare that neither Gus nor Rhett know how to develop a QB yet we already project / expect / suggest that a guy who has started 4 college games will be/could be ready for the NFL after one year on the plains.   

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