Willis determined to return for bowl

CORAL GABLES — Through nine games, the Hurricanes have yet to accomplish one of the most basic goals for every college football team — securing a postseason bowl berth.

But if things break their way and Miami is able to manage that by winning at least one of their three remaining games, Gerald Willis — one of the Hurricanes’ top defensive players — has said he’ll play in that bowl game, even as others have warned him to think about his potential NFL future above all else.

Willis, a fifth-year defensive tackle, leads the Hurricanes with 16 tackles for loss, which ranks fourth in the country among FBS players. He is rated eighth in the nation among defensive tackles by draftscout.com, and the expectation is that his NFL stock is rising.

That’s why some of Willis’ friends already in the NFL have urged the 6-foot-4, 300-pound tackle to bypass the bowl Miami may potentially make, considering it won’t be a top-level game.

Willis, for his part, doesn’t see things that way right now.

“I’ve been hearing that a lot. Even from some guys that I know in the NFL. ‘You shouldn’t play the bowl game. You shouldn’t do this or that.’ Man, I’m playing for my brothers,” Willis said. “I’m grateful. I’m going to chase every opportunity I have in a Miami uniform and I’m going to go hard.”

Willis’ time in Coral Gables has included its share of ups and downs.

He arrived at Miami after being dismissed from Florida and has endured multiple suspensions as a Hurricane. He endured postseason knee surgery in 2016 and last year, took a leave of absence from the football program.

But he returned in time to join the Hurricanes’ scout team last fall and drew praise from teammates and coaches for his maturity on and off the field and his play on it.

“I do love them all – I love all these guys – but [Willis] has a special place right now. I don’t know how to say it, but he has got his life on track in a really positive way,” Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said back in August. “He was doing things that weren’t the way they were supposed to be, in all areas. He took ownership of it. He did what he had to do to get right. And now, he truly is one of our leaders. You’ve got [defensive line coach Jess] Simpson coaching him for the first time, and he’s like, ‘This guy is unbelievable. This guy is awesome.’ He knows nothing but the new ‘G.’ I’m just really proud of him.”

Since the season started, he’s been a consistent force for the Hurricanes’ second-ranked defense and now, the goal, he says, is to make sure the season ends on a positive note both for him and his teammates.

Securing a bowl berth sooner rather than later is part of that process.

“[Defensive coordinator Manny] Diaz preached about that in the meeting room. He talked to the seniors. He talked to the team, the defense as a whole, and said, ‘Let’s win one game and have the seniors get a bowl game,’” Willis said.

Running back Travis Homer, who did not practice on Tuesday, was a limited participant during Wednesday’s practice.

According to Richt, Homer is dealing with a strained calf, but the hope is that he’ll be available Saturday, something the Hurricanes need, considering Miami’s offensive struggles of late.

“He was out there. He got a little bit of work, but not a lot. He got a lot of mental reps. … He’s a guy that’s had enough experience in his career that if he does feel great [Thursday], we’ll get him in there and we’ll let him play,” Richt said. “But right this minute, we felt like he’s made a lot of progress, but we feel like if he got it banged again, it might set him back, so we just erred on the side of being safe. But my guess is he’ll get most of it [Thursday].

Homer, a former Oxbridge Academy standout, has rushed for a team-high 702 yards and two touchdowns.

Diaz honored: Hurricanes defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was on Wednesday named one of 53 nominees for the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach.

It marked the third straight year at Miami that Diaz, who was a semifinalist for the award in 2017, has earned a spot on the list of nominees.

Under Diaz, the Hurricanes are ranked No. 2 in total defense (264.7 yards per game), No. 1 in third-down conversion percentage (22.3 percent) and No. 1 in tackles for loss per game (10.4). Miami is also rated No. 2 in passing yards allowed per game (141.1).

JOHN MCCALL/SUN SENTINEL UM defensive tackle Gerald Willis says some NFL players have told him he should skip Miami’s bowl game, if the Hurricanes make one.