Will Miami Football DT Gerald Willis be breakout player of 2018?

Miami football defensive tackle Gerald Willis will be the Hurricanes breakout player of 2018 according to a recently published article on ESPN.Com. The mothership picked one player from each top 25 team they expect to breakout.

Those that follow the Miami football team closely already know big things are expected from the Rising Senior defensive tackle in 2018. Miami football Head Coach Mark Richt has been praising Willis‘ play since he was dominant as a member of the scout team last season.

Willis was a four-star player and second best defensive tackle in the Class of 2014. He spent his Freshman season at Florida. Willis transferred to Miami after some personal issues while a member of the Gators football team.

As a Sophomore in 2016, Willis was productive as a backup. He had 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He sat out the 2017 season due to unspecified personal reasons.

Willis is the surest player Miami has on the interior of the defensive line for the upcoming season. Rising Junior Pat Bethel and Rising Sophomore Jon Ford don’t have a lot of experience. The Hurricanes also have incoming Freshmen Nesta Silvera and Jordan Miller at defensive tackle. Neither were early enrollees.

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson summed up Willis.

"8. Miami: DT Gerald Willis IIIWillis has been a bit of an unknown since he transferred to the Hurricanes. After sitting out 2015 because of transfer rules, he missed last season for personal reasons. But Willis seems to have turned a corner, as coaches mentioned how far he has grown both on the field and off. He was virtually unblockable this spring. — Adelson"

Willis is getting his last shot to show he is an NFL caliber player. NFLDraft Scout ranks Willis as the 37th best defensive tackle in the 2019 NFL Draft. That’s a low number bordering on not getting drafted. He will have to dominate opposing teams this fall the way he has dominated on the Greentree practice fields for the last nine months.

Willis has seemed to put his past issues behind him. He spoke to the Palm Beach Post about the growth he has made.

"“I had a lot of personal issues I had to handle off the field…I had a lot of family issues. I had to get my mind right, so that I could be able to focus this year. It worked a lot. I’m a changed person, I’m a changed man. I changed a lot of ways I used to have. I think I’m a better person and I’m starting to be a better player.”"

Proof that Willis has become a better player was the Defensive Leadership Award that Willis won this Spring. He is going to have to anchor the interior of the Miami defensive line this fall. Willis needs to do so physically, through his play and as the leader of a young and inexperienced tackle group.

If Willis can have the kind of season that is predicted of him that helps the entire defense. It allows the Miami linebacking core more room to get to the ball carriers and the edge pass rushers more lanes to the quarterback.

Next: Can Miami Hurricanes challenge Clemson in ACC

Willis and whoever starts beside him will have big shoes to fill. R.J. McIntosh was named second-team All-ACC in 2017 and was a fifth-round pick of the New York Giants. Kendrick Norton was honorable mention All-ACC and a seventh-round pick of the Carolina Panthers.