For teams needing immediate help at the wide receiver position (I'm looking at you, Brent Pease and Joker Phillips), heading to the JUCO ranks makes a lot of sense. But the player largely considered the No. 1 prospect at the position this year in the junior college ranks – D'haquille Williams of Mississippi Gulf Coast – is technically off the board already and committed to Auburn.
Well, have no fear. Another top playmaker has emerged.
JaMichael Willis of Jones County outdueled Williams in a battle of two of the top offenses in JUCO football, as the Bobcats pulled off a stunning 52-42 upset of Mississippi Gulf Coast on the road in Perkinston, Miss. on Thursday night.
Willis nabbed nine receptions for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the evening. This will only extend his NJCAA-leading totals to 33 receptions for 635 yards (19.42 ypc) and six scores through four games at the conclusion of this weekend's contests. Willis' output on Thursday night nearly matched his total from last year as a freshman at Jones County, where he was credited with 235 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns on 25 receptions.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds on the Jones County website, Willis originally hails from Birmingham. In high school, he appeared in the Sept. 27, 2010 edition of Sports Illustrated's "Faces In the Crowd" feature after being on the receiving end of six touchdown passes in a single game. During that season, his junior campaign at Gardendale High School, Willis totaled 62 receptions for 1,109 yards and 15 touchdowns. Not too shabby.
But aside from that, there's not much out there on what Willis did during his senior year of high school. Only a couple of video clips from his time at Jones County Junior College. Perhaps there is more to this story than what meets the eye. But through four games of his sophomore season for the Bobcats, Willis appears to be a big-time FBS receiver prospect for a team that needs a shot in the arm at the position.
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