Hurricanes

the picture of it, coming out, playing LSU, I have my whole family there supporting me.

“When I was getting recruited, LSU was one of my top picks. It’s my hometown and I’m just ready to showcase my talent.”

Another reason why Sunday is an important day for the redshirt senior: Willis is slated to start at defensive tackle. It’s the first start of his turbulent college career, which began at Florida.

Rated as the second-best defensive tackle in the 2014 recruiting class by the 247Sports composite rankings, Willis chose to sign with the Gators over Alabama, Florida State, LSU and others.

“Home was just too much of an inconvenience for me, too much drama and stuff,” Willis said. “I was ready to get out of town.”

But the drama followed Willis to Gainesville. He spent just one season at Florida, and it included at least two altercations with UF teammates and one highly publicized sideline shove of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Willis decided to transfer.

That’s when relationships with Stan Dobard, Willis’ close friend and high school teammate who played tight end for the Hurricanes, and former UM defensive line coach Jethro Franklin, who recruited Willis in high school, helped pull him to Miami.

“He kind of got that bad name out there. It was just being blown out of proportion,” Willis’ father, Gerald Willis Sr., said. “Nobody knew what was going on except him, the coaching staff and the kids that were there. Gerald is a private person.

“(Florida) didn’t work out the way he wanted it to, so we got an opportunity to leave and his best friend was playing over at Miami . ... It was a no-brainer to go to Miami.”

But the turbulence didn’t stop when Willis got to Coral Gables.

After sitting out the 2015 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, Willis was suspended for the 2016 season opener for violating team rules. He finished with 19 tackles (5.5 for losses) and 1.5 sacks in nine games as a backup for the Hurricanes, then underwent postseason knee surgery.

That’s when Willis and his family decided it was time to take a break.

“I didn’t think he was giving everybody the 100 percent of Gerald,” his father said. “We all knew something wasn’t right.”

Last season, Willis focused on his academics and dominated as a member of the scout team.

“Man, he’s dedicated himself,” Willis Sr. said. “He’s starting to read his Bible more, he’s going to church, he’s just putting his faith in God and he’s really matured. He’s a senior now. I don’t worry about if I see a phone call from Miami like, ‘Oh Lord, here we go.’ I don’t have those feelings anymore.”

Willis, 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, is ready to be a reliable contributor for the first time in his college career. He seized on the opportunity to start after defensive tackles Kendrick Norton and R.J. McIntosh chose to leave early for the NFL draft.

Willis also is on track to become the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college. He’s scheduled to get his degree in December.

“He’ll walk out of here with a degree and I think he grew up a lot,” UM coach Mark Richt said. “Sometimes if you get the blessing without the maturity, it doesn’t last very long. So I think he’s a much better man in terms of being prepared for life than he would have been if he would have left early.”

Another part of Willis’ ongoing effort to create a fresh start: He changed his jersey number from 91 to 9, worn last season by defensive end Chad Thomas.

“New year, new me,” Willis said. “Chad was the leader on this team and he wore No. 9 . ... He was always in my ear a lot about being a leader.” New year, new Willis. “This time off has really paid off,” Willis Sr. said. “I hope he’s a beacon and a light for a lot of kids that are kind of struggling through school, having issues off the field. Sometimes you may have to take a break.”