Jaron Willis is an Ole Miss Rebel and the first four-star linebacker signee since 2017
The good times continued to roll for Ole Miss on National Signing Day.
After landing a pair of On3 consensus three-star offensive linemen Wednesday morning, including Falentha Carswell, who flipped from Miami (Fla.), the Rebels scooped up four-star Jaron Willis, a former Georgia Tech commitment.
Willis is ranked as the No. 198 overall player in the country. He’s the first four-star-or-better linebacker to sign with Ole Miss since 2017.
“First off, I want to thank God. He gave me a lot, just making this decision has helped me,” Willis said. Special feeling right now. My three, four years in college, I’ll be attending Ole Miss. I’ve got family down there, I’ve got friends down there. It felt like home.”
“I’m ready to be a Landshark. We’re here now.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Willis chose the Rebels over Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State and Arkansas, among others. He de-committed from the Yellowjackets last week.
Willis joins an Ole Miss linebackers class also featuring Reginald Hughes of Northeast Mississippi Community College and Tyler Banks of Crewe, Va. Banks held additional offers from Michigan, Virginia Tech and California, to name a few.
“I have been thinking about this for about a month and it is just time,” Willis said, in a previous interview with On3. “Georgia Tech is great, but I thought about the future and I wanted to switch paths.”
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Willis, from Leesburg, Ga., brings a physicality the Rebels will be searching to replace in 2022 with the departures of (potentially) Chance Campbell and Mark Robinson.
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Robinson, who, like Willis, is a Lee County High School graduate, hosted Willis on his official visit earlier this year, and he’s been instrumental in the recruitment of Georgia’s No. 20 prospect.
Robinson, along with fellow Lee County alum Otis Reese, have both been working alongside the Ole Miss staff to sell Willis on Ole Miss.
The pitch? He’d step in and play the outside linebacker/safety hybrid STAR position Durkin loves to put on the field in his 3-2-6 scheme. Willis is more than capable of leading the charge in run support, but he’s also exceptional in coverage.
Willis already has a Power 5-ready frame. He operates well in the box and has no qualms coming downhill to strike you at the line of scrimmage. He is a sure tackler in space and is incredibly violent when coming home on a blitz. He has the footwork and ball skills of a safety, but could potentially grow into an inside linebacker due to his physical play and quickness on the interior.
Willis comes from a really good high school program and would be an excellent addition to a class that is looking to bring in impact defenders to continue to help rebuild a defense that got better and better as the 2021 season went on.
