At the recent NextGen Baltimore Showcase, RB/LB Tavin Willis put coaches and peers on notice that he's an emerging talent from the 2023 class.
For his remarkable performance at the NextGen Regional Showcase in Baltimore, Willis was named as a Defensive MVP. An award that Willis was honored to receive.
"I was shocked at first because the talent was tough," Willis told Youth1.com.
"There was some very good players at the camp. It shows that I work hard and the work I put in is starting to pay off. It also shows that I love to compete, and I am not afraid to compete," he added.
Willis is a fierce competitor that works for everything. He takes pride in putting in maximum effort to match his impressive God-given talent.
Willis also received a golden ticket invitation to NextGen's invite-only main event, The Show. Receiving an invite to The Show speaks to his ability on the football field. Needless to say, Willis is thrilled about the opportunity to compete at The Show 2019 in Bradenton, FL this June.
"I was so excited, and felt very privileged to be invited. This is my first time being invited to the show, it means so much to me being from a small town in Maryland all I ever wanted was an opportunity to compete with the best," Willis said.
The Cumberland, MD resident's defensive performance at the Baltimore Showcase was clearly impressive. Willis was proud of the way he competed.
"My coverage was the best part," Willis said of the best part of his performance.
I deflected two passes and intercepted one, no one got behind me," he added.
Standing at 5'8" 150 lbs., Willis is relentless in pursuit of the ball from the Linebacker position. Once the ball is snapped he's quick to diagnose the offense and make the right play. He makes reads quickly and knows how to either fill the proper gap or drop back into coverage. He uses his sound form tackling to bring defenders to the ground and isn't afraid to lay down a big hit.
"I like that you can be physical and hit people," Willis said of his favorite part of playing football.
"The best part about playing linebacker is being able to make big hits and big plays," he added.
On offense, Willis is a playmaking Running Back that is always a threat with the ball in his hands.
"My favorite part of playing running back is making people miss, scoring, and running people over," Willis said.
Willis has spent countless hours working on his game and feels that he's made great progress.
"I can read offenses and defenses really well. I love to hit and make big plays on offense and defense. I make a lot of tackles and I am very physical," Willis said of his strengths.
"I feel my progress is going good, I was able to make more plays and bigger plays on both sides of the ball this year. I am lifting, running and working hard on my game to get ready for high school. I am focusing on speed, quickness and coverage," he added.
Being named Defensive MVP is a great accomplishment for 2023 RB/LB Tavin Willis. With his ability on both sides of the ball, Willis will to continue to turn heads as a young athlete to be reckoned with.
He's working hard to standout at NextGen's The Show this June and for High School this fall.
"High School is much harder everything is faster and everyone is stronger. I am spending a lot of time in the weight room working on my strength. I am spending a lot of time on the field working on my speed too," Willis said.
For more on Tavin Willis, check out his Youth1 Player Profile -> here.
View his highlights below.
Speak with a Youth1 Recruiting Counselor
Youth1’s Recruiting Counselors are on a mission to educate you on the recruiting process - one that's very competitive and starts early. Let us provide guidance through the most important decisions that shape your athlete's journey in sports.
Learn how to become a recruitable student-athlete, find out what colleges you match best with, and get the ability to message college coaches directly with a specialized recruiting package.
Don't wait, schedule a time to speak with a Youth1 Recruiting Counselor. It's FREE! Just fill out the following information and then select a date and time in the form below.
Ryan Oliver @RyanBOliver 4 years ago