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All things Malik Willis (Merged)


Elephant Tipper

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http://sports.usatoday.com/2017/02/09/malzahn-3star-qb-signee-malik-willis-compares-to-nick-marshall/

Malzahn: 3-star QB signee Malik Willis compares to Nick Marshall

 

AUBURN – While Jarrett Stidham rightfully stole all the attention among the quarterbacks in Auburn’s 2017 recruiting class, it Malik Willis who was described as a former Auburn great at the position.

When announcing the signing of the three-star signing from Roswell, Ga., Malzahn said he and his offensive staff thought his dual-threat skill set reminded them of two-year starter Nick Marshall.

Willis began his high school at defensive back, which should remind Auburn fans of how Marshall began his college career at Georgia before Malzahn and then-offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee recruited him to run their read-option hurry-up offense.

“He reminds me a little bit of Nick Marshall with the way he runs and the way he throw the football,” Malzahn said about quarterback 2017 signee Malik Willis.

In two seasons as the starting quarterback at Auburn following his transfer from Garden City Community College, Marshall finished with 4,508 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns along with 1,866 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns. He led the Tigers to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game and is the last Auburn starting quarterback to make it through a complete regular season healthy.

Willis finished with a 21-2 record at Roswell High School in just a season-and-a-half as a varsity quarterback. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound prospect, who has already enrolled at Auburn last month to be ready for spring practices, finished his high school career with 3,318 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, 1,725 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns against the toughest competition in the state. Despite those statistics, a berth in the Class 7A Georgia State Championship Game and the Atlanta Journal Constitution naming him the Class 7A Region 4 Player of the Year, Willis was barely recruited as a quarterback at the Power 5 Conference level.

Willis was previously a Virginia Tech commitment but flipped to Auburn while the Tigers program was in New Orleans practicing for the 2017 Sugar Bowl. Auburn was one of the few programs who saw Willis as more than a projectable athlete at the quarterback position that will need development but has the speed to impress the coaching staff already.

“We really felt like as a staff if this guy had been playing quarterback for two to three years (in high school), he’d be one of the highest ranked recruits in the country” Malzahn said on Feb. 1.

With what is now a logjam at the quarterback position in terms of the spring depth chart, Willis expected to be a redshirt candidate at the position but will look to compete with redshirt freshman Woody Barrett for that third spot behind Stidham and junior-to-be Sean White.

The good news for Willis is this spring he’ll be learning the new wrinkles by new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey to the Auburn offense at the same time as the established veterans on the roster.

“I think the most important thing is to give those guys a plan every play where they know where to go with the ball,” Lindsey said in his introductory media conference.  You’ve got to get the ball out of your hand, you’ve got to understand protection. Obviously, their footwork and all the things that go along with fundamentals of playing the position is extremely important. I plan on making sure those guys are really good at it. Making sure they know where to go with the ball, that’s my job. I’m excited about the opportunity to be here with these guys.”

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10 minutes ago, Elephant Tipper said:

Willis expected to be a redshirt candidate at the position but will look to compete with redshirt freshman Woody Barrett for that third spot behind Stidham and junior-to-be Sean White.

This might be the best thing about landing Willis this year.  Woody needs someone with his skill set to push him.

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9 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I like Woody and Malik's potential in combination with Chip's QB development.

Now if Woody can get better acclimated to college life on and off the field I will feel even better.

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1 hour ago, ellitor said:

Now if Woody can get better acclimated to college life on and off the field I will feel even better.

Is he struggling to make the grades or is this something else entirely?

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"Obviously, their footwork and all the things that go along with fundamentals of playing the position is extremely important. I plan on making sure those guys are really good at it"

Yes please, has been way to long

 

 

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I like Malik's potential. 

And from what I've read/heard, he seems like a good kid with a solid work ethic. He was a very good find and nice pick up for this staff. 

I too like that we have a solid QB developer to work with him and Woody (as well as our other QBs)

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9 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:
14 hours ago, DAG said:

Take it easy!!! 

If Woody is buried on the depth chart he might look to leave. All I'm saying. 

Let's put it this way, if Woody decides to leave, it won't be a huge deal, because it means that Malik passed him on the dept chart, so he would probably never see the field anyway.

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17 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

If Woody stays after spring ball. 

Another Auburn QB of the Future. 

Edit: I'm going to dial that one back a bit. We might finally lose a guy with legit potential because of quality depth. That would only mean good things for our coach and team. 

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4 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

If Woody is buried on the depth chart he might look to leave. All I'm saying. 

If he's lower than 3rd on the depth chart, he probably needs to move on.  Or actually, if SW isn't participating in spring practice, if he's not taking 2nd team reps, he probably needs to be looking around to find a lower division school where he can get some playing time.  Assuming JS and SW stay a couple of years and Malik develops and assuming the 2nd coming is what he is in 2018, it will be tough for Woody to find playing time here.

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10 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

If he's lower than 3rd on the depth chart, he probably needs to move on.  Or actually, if SW isn't participating in spring practice, if he's not taking 2nd team reps, he probably needs to be looking around to find a lower division school where he can get some playing time.  Assuming JS and SW stay a couple of years and Malik develops and assuming the 2nd coming is what he is in 2018, it will be tough for Woody to find playing time here.

I personally hope that at 6'2, 230+ with a decent set of wheels that he becomes our goal line QB, if nothing else.

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What if it becomes clear to SW that after Spring the coaches are really gearing towards JS being the starter? It would really suck if both SW and Woody left because of their positions on the depth chart post spring. Then we'd go from feeling more or less comfortable (or as comfy as one can be) with what we have to being one awkward fall away from the entire house being burned down offensively -- like we saw this past season.

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5 minutes ago, Tiger said:

What if it becomes clear to SW that after Spring the coaches are really gearing towards JS being the starter? It would really suck if both SW and Woody left because of their positions on the depth chart post spring. Then we'd go from feeling more or less comfortable (or as comfy as one can be) with what we have to being one awkward fall away from the entire house being burned down offensively -- like we saw this past season.

There's also been very loose chatter that Sean's sick of the injuries and has at least considered the idea of quitting the sport altogether.

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13 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

There's also been very loose chatter that Sean's sick of the injuries and has at least considered the idea of quitting the sport altogether.

Sean did say, directly, that he was sick of the injuries, but he followed it up with a statement about getting to the point, physically, where he doesn't get injured, not quitting. Still... I wouldn't be completely shocked if he did... it has to suck to be hurt all of the time.

22 minutes ago, Tiger said:

What if it becomes clear to SW that after Spring the coaches are really gearing towards JS being the starter?

I doubt Sean would quit just because he's #2. He knows better than anyone how important #2 is.

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1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

Sean did say, directly, that he was sick of the injuries, but he followed it up with a statement about getting to the point, physically, where he doesn't get injured, not quitting. Still... I wouldn't be completely shocked if he did... it has to suck to be hurt all of the time.

I doubt Sean would quit just because he's #2. He knows better than anyone how important #2 is.

I think throwing the idea out there that SW knows how important a backup is is implying that he's looking at the scenario through the lens of what's best for Auburn as opposed to what's best for SW himself. His priority should be himself and his future IMO. If I'm a junior and a sophomore takes my job, due to my ticking eligibility clock, I don't think I would say "well backup is an important position" my thought is "I only have 2 years left and I need to maximize the last half of my eligibility to reach my dreams of the next level". JMO but that doesn't make him a quitter either, it makes him smart. If he doesn't look out for himself right now he will let an opportunity to be a starting QB vanish forever. Transferring =/= quitting IMO.

 

*This is all contingent on JS winning the job.

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1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

There's also been very loose chatter that Sean's sick of the injuries and has at least considered the idea of quitting the sport altogether.

A hurt ankle/knee, shoulder, and a broken forearm...  I'm not sure those are injuries that you pack it in after.  Now back, neck, head, or some internal issues maybe so.  But a broken bone or tweeked ankle I just don't see it. 

It would not shock me to see Sean win the starting job again.  Just sayin'

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52 minutes ago, Tiger said:

If I'm a junior and a sophomore takes my job, due to my ticking eligibility clock, I don't think I would say "well backup is an important position" my thought is "I only have 2 years left and I need to maximize the last half of my eligibility to reach my dreams of the next level".

Don't want to sound negative towards SW, but what do you think/see as the "next level" for him?  I know from some of the posts on here, that some would think he could make it in the NFL, but I don't see that at all.  I think he's over achieving now having started for an SEC program.  But, barring injury/mop up duty, I don't think he sees the field again at Auburn in any meaningful capacity.

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30 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

Don't want to sound negative towards SW, but what do you think/see as the "next level" for him?  I know from some of the posts on here, that some would think he could make it in the NFL, but I don't see that at all.  I think he's over achieving now having started for an SEC program.  But, barring injury/mop up duty, I don't think he sees the field again at Auburn in any meaningful capacity.

It all depends on how much he improves in the next 2 year.  Would he make and NFL roster, today... no, but the kid is crazy accurate and sees the field well, so if he can fix the not so good parts of his game and refine the good ones... and figure out how to stay healthy for a couple of seasons... he certainly has a shot. That's the thing we all need to keep in mind about every player on our team. What you saw isn't necessarily what you will get the next year. Sure some may stagnate, but most will improve and some will even fall off a bit if they don't give it 100%.

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3 hours ago, Tiger said:

What if it becomes clear to SW that after Spring the coaches are really gearing towards JS being the starter? It would really suck if both SW and Woody left because of their positions on the depth chart post spring. Then we'd go from feeling more or less comfortable (or as comfy as one can be) with what we have to being one awkward fall away from the entire house being burned down offensively -- like we saw this past season.

Getting sick & tired of being injured is the only reason Sean would leave. He's not going to leave because of being beat out by Stidham.

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