Illinois wide receiver Willis can't stop smiling
Illinois senior wide receiver Jacob Willis is so happy to be back on the football field, he can't stop smiling.
"It's all day,'' Willis said, busting into another smile. "That's how it is every day.''
A walk-on who started five games last season, Willis climbed back to No. 1 on the depth chart in preseason camp after missing spring drills because of academic issues. While freshman star Arrelious Benn became the conversation piece of wide receivers (and much of Illinois football) since his arrival in the spring, Willis quickly returned to the team's starting lineup.
Even before Benn went down with a shoulder sprain that kept him out of practice this week, Willis "is in our top three,'' said offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said. "No doubt about it. With or without Benn, he's one of our top three receivers.''
The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder started the season opener a year ago and finished the year as the team's second leading receiver with 16 receptions for 313 yards and three touchdowns. A Champaign Centennial graduate and the son of a former Big Ten receiver (his father, Lenny, played at Ohio State), Willis made stops at two junior colleges and spent a season as a redshirt at Illinois before playing a key role when Illinois ended a 10-game losing streak in the Big Ten Conference last fall.
Willis caught two touchdown passes in the upset at Michigan State. But he had just six catches the rest of the season. Even though Willis was academically eligible in the spring, he didn't practice during spring drills when he failed to meet standards set by coach Ron Zook.
Willis attended team meetings but couldn't watch practice.
"I had to be in study hall during that time,'' he said. "It was kind of lonely. I was the only one in there. I had to do some soul searching in there.''
Willis' grades improved, and he earned a mulligan this season.
"He wasn't failing anything,'' Lenny Willis said. "He wasn't putting a whole bunch of effort into his work. He got his grades. He went to summer school and got an A in a class.''
Willis also worked in the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility this summer, catching balls thrown by quarterbacks and the Juggs throwing machine.
"When you miss spring ball, you miss something,'' Lenny Willis said. "He was there every day in the summer. Every day, he caught 200 balls. He worked, went to school, came out and worked in the indoor facility and then went to 7-on-7.''
Evidently, the coaches want to find a way to get the ball in Willis' hands. In preseason camp, Willis is No. 2 at punt returner and No. 1 at kickoff return. Zook commended Willis' competitiveness, toughness and leadership.
"I reminded him that this is how he was last summer and fall,'' Zook said. "If he doesn't do what he's supposed to do, he's not going to play. He's figure that out. We're very happy with the way things have gone in this camp (for Willis).''
NOTE: Co-defensive coordinator Curt Mallory still wasn't able to return to Camp Rantoul Wednesday after undergoing surgery on his groin Monday. . . Sophomore tight end Jeff Cumberland missed the morning practice and Tuesday's first workout with a sore knee. Cornerback Vontae Davis returned to practice Wednesday after missing part of Tuesday's drills because of soreness in his lower back. . . Tight end C.J. Jackson hadn't returned yet after missing four days because of a death in his family.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.