Less than a year ago, before Malik Willis had made his collegiate debut as a starting quarterback for the Liberty Flames, many questions surrounded him. Would he even be Hugh Freeze’s starter? Could he be accurate enough to help the team win some games? Would the offense miss a beat after having to replace four-year starter Buckshot Calvert?

Willis answered all those questions quickly and turned heads around the college football world. After his dark-horse Heisman Trophy bid last year sputtered out, now many are beginning to recognize Willis for the talent that he has as his name is being thrown out as a top NFL draft pick candidate in next year’s NFL draft.

With the NCAA not counting the 2020 football season against players’ eligibility, Willis could technically return for the 2022 college football season, but if he puts up numbers in 2021 like he did this past season and is still being rumored to be the first quarterback taken in the draft, it is likely Willis would turn his attention to the NFL.

In just one season, Willis has already put his stamp on the Liberty quarterback record books after completing 170 of his 265 passes for 2,260 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 944 yards and 14 additional touchdowns. Still, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze says there is plenty of room for growth in Willis’ game for the 2021 season.

“He’s got a lot that he can improve on,” Freeze said earlier this month. “We missed a lot of opportunities for quick throws in the RPO game that he just didn’t see. We’ve got to get to where we take those, what we call, gimme throws, access throws. Secondly, there were times, for whatever reason, his drop is incredibly short. He’s just not getting the depth, and our pass protections, we’re setting those protections, and those linemen believe based on the protection that we’re teaching, that on a normal three step drop from the shot gun that he’s going to be at 8 yards of depth at least. That creates a problem. We had more sacks than we would have liked this year. Some of it is on the line, backs and their protection schemes. I’m not sure if he’s concerned about what’s going on in his mind down the field on a pass play, but he cannot sacrifice his drop and that got him in some trouble in many situations.”

Willis and the Flames are scheduled to begin spring practice on Monday, March 1 as Liberty begins preparation for the 2021 season. Liberty is scheduled to open the season on Sept. 4 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia against Campbell. Could Willis become the first Liberty football player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Eric Green was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 21st overall selection in 1990?