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A Chat with Malik Willis: Liberty quarterback focuses on faith rather than fleeting fame

By Jacob Couch, November 15, 2021

Calm, cool, and collected accurately describes Liberty University starting quarterback and national award contender Malik Willis.

Coming off the 2020 season in which he led the Flames to an impressive 10-1 record capped by a second consecutive Cure Bowl victory, Willis is looking to add another championship to the Flames trophy case this season. 

In 2020, the Atlanta native led the nation in quarterback rushing yards with 944 while tallying 14 touchdowns on the ground. The talented dual-threat passer also threw for 2,260 yards and 20 TDs, contributing to multiple nominations to preseason award lists and watchlists heading into the 2021 campaign. A number of sports media outlets are touting him as a possible Heisman candidate.

But Willis’ journey to college football stardom has not always been an easy one. He began his high school sports career at Atlanta’s Westlake High School, where he played both football and baseball before choosing to transfer to Roswell High School for his senior year. In June 2016, Willis committed to Virginia Tech but would later decommit in favor of Auburn. After a couple seasons with the Tigers, he recognized that a starting role there was not likely in his future.

“There have been bumps and bruises along the way, but I feel like I needed those in order to get to where I am today,” Willis said. “I feel like God puts you through things to make you realize how much you need Him and to realize just how much love He has for you.”

Determined to continue following his passion for football that he felt certain the Lord had given him, Willis transferred to Liberty in 2019. He had to redshirt that season due to NCAA transfer regulations. During that season, Willis began wearing a “God’s Plan” armband that he now wears every game so that opponents and media members realize Who is first in his life.

“It gives me an opportunity to talk about my faith with the press and media that we meet,” he said. “Just being able to talk about it, that’s a first step. I feel like I was blessed with this ability and this platform to bring people to Him. That’s what we were put on Earth to do, to point others to God.”

While he has blossomed into one of the nation’s top quarterbacks and is projected to be an early selection in the NFL Draft, Willis is humble in media interviews. He said he prefers to talk about his faith and spending time in his community rather than his on-the-field success.

“I’m just a guy trying to get better every day,” he said. “I’m nobody special. I just play the game, try to make my family proud, and bring glory to God.”

Since arriving at Liberty, Willis said his relationship with Christ has gone to a deeper level, due in part to the brotherhood of his teammates as they strive side by side to grow closer to the Lord together.

“It makes it more about the actual relationships than about winning and just football,” he said. “It’s deeper than that. These are relationships we’ll have throughout life. It’s just another level of depth in my opinion. As someone who has played for another school, I can say that is true.”

While enjoying what the Flames Football program has to offer, Willis has also enjoyed his time in the classroom, an environment that he said fosters opportunities to grow in his faith. After graduating this past spring with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, Willis is currently pursuing his Master of Arts in Executive Leadership.

“When I first got here, I really enjoyed the Bible classes,” he said. “They are classes that help you to learn about God. What more can you ask for? It’s like church, but you’re at school.”

Willis said that if he had not played football, he probably would have pursued a career in baseball, a sport he ceased after his junior year of high school when he decided to graduate halfway through his senior year in order to enroll early at Auburn.

“That whole recruiting process in baseball is just way different than football,” he said. “They don’t give full scholarships for baseball, so that’s kind of tough.”

Willis has come a long way since his beginning days of playing college football. But the growing fame of Liberty’s elite signal-caller has not hindered him from understanding his purpose in life. 

Asked what he will miss most after his time on Liberty Mountain comes to an end, Willis answered that he will miss those special times off the field more than the team’s heroics on the gridiron.

“Winning games is cool and fun and we get to glorify God, but I feel like growing with each other in the little Bible studies we do and building those relationships and getting closer to God with each other is way more valuable,” he said. “We’re going to forget how many touchdowns we scored, and we’ll forget how many games we won, but those relationships won’t be forgotten.”  

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