Gerald Willis III Joins the Stick to Football Podcast for a Pre-Draft Interview

It’s been a bumpy ride through the draft process for Miami Hurricanes’ DT Gerald Willis III. A myriad of injuries forced the star to miss Miami’s bowl game, the Senior Bowl and relegated him to the role of a spectator at the NFL Scouting Combine. Despite the missed time, Willis made a good impression during the interview process of the draft. With the Hurricane coaching staff lending their support, any lingering concerns regarding his character seem to have evaporated. Combined with a solid performance at Miami’s Pro Day, Willis appears to be the odds on favorite to be the first Hurricane drafted. With the NFL Draft less than a week away, Willis inches closer to focusing his NFL dream into a high-definition reality.

This week, G sat down for an interview with Bleacher Report’s Stick to Football podcast. The topics ranged from his rise to stardom, to his breakout senior season at UM and his experience throughout the draft process.

Here are some of the highlights from the conversation.

Where he’ll be during draft weekend:

“I might do something in Miami. I might do a get together at somebody[’s] house. I might do it at a luxury hotel.”

What has training for the draft encompassed :

“Training was hectic. It was hectic. Just going in to training everyday, waking up at five or six o’clock every morning [...] I’ve been busting my butt everyday.”

Willis has been training at Applied Science and Performance Institute in Tampa Bay, Florida. The DT took part in two workouts a day to prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine and UM’s Pro Day.

Reflecting on his college career :

“It has been a long journey for me. A long process for me. I had alot of stuff I had to learn through college. A lot of ups and downs through college. [...] I took advantage of my opportunity in 2018 and I just excelled from there.”

Working with the Scout Team in 2017:

“As soon as I got back to school, I took advantage of my opportunity there. Just going against the ones made me better. Leading up to 2018, I think I was ready. I think it was because of [my experience on] the scout team”

Willis’ thoughts on Manny Diaz being Miami’s head coach:

When asked to describe Miami head coach Manny Diaz, G described his former defensive coordinator as a “savage.” When host Connor Rogers asked him to elaborate, Willis goes on to say “I don’t know about this year, but give him two years, he’s going to win a National Championship. I wish I had one more year to be under him as a head coach.”

That’s a healthy endorsement for Manny and The New Miami.

There’s a couple more tidbits in the episode. Ranging from his relationship with his brother, Washington Redskins safety Landon Collins, to naming the biggest trash talker he’s faced in his career, Willis provides the answers to those and other intriguing questions throughout the interview.

Don’t take my word for it, give the episode a listen.

IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT THE U!