Khari Willis

Last updated

Khari Willis
Jac.fbc.atMSU.10.29.16.0681 (30028211763).jpg
Willis with Michigan State in 2016
No. 37
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1996-05-07) May 7, 1996 (age 28)
Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school: Lumen Christi Catholic (Jackson, Michigan)
College: Michigan State (2015–2018)
NFL draft: 2019  / Round: 4 / Pick: 109
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:219
Sacks:3.5
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:4
Defensive touchdowns:1

Khari Willis (born May 7, 1996) is a former American football safety. He played for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021 after having played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. In 2022, Willis announced his retirement from professional sports to pursue a career in the Christian ministry.

Contents

Early years

Willis was the seventh of ten siblings born to parents Mary and John. He is the cousin of former NFL player Bill Brooks. [1] He graduated from Jackson Lumen Christi Catholic High School in 2015 and holds the school record for most rushing yards in a season with 2,800. [2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+7⁄8 in
(1.80 m)		213 lb
(97 kg)		31 in
(0.79 m)		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		4.52 s1.64 s2.68 s4.13 s7.15 s34.5 in
(0.88 m)		9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)		22 reps
All values from NFL Combine /Michigan State's Pro Day [3] [4]

The Indianapolis Colts selected Willis in the fourth round (109th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft. The Colts traded two fourth round picks (129th overall and 135th overall) in the 2019 Draft to the Oakland Raiders in order to move up and select Willis. [5] He was the 10th safety selected in 2019. [6]

On May 13, 2019, the Colts signed Willis to a four-year, $3.28 million contract that included a signing bonus of $767,104. [7]

In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Willis recorded his first career sack on Gardner Minshew during the 27–20 loss. [8] In the following week's game against the Minnesota Vikings, Willis recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by former Spartan Kirk Cousins during the 28–11 win. [9] In Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Willis intercepted a pass thrown by Derek Carr and returned it for a 50-yard touchdown during the 44–27 win. [10]

Willis entered the 2021 season as the Colts starting strong safety. He started the first six of seven games before being placed on injured reserve on November 4, 2021. [11] He was activated on December 4. [12]

On June 15, 2022, Willis announced he was retiring to pursue ministry full-time. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefen Wisniewski</span> American football player (born 1989)

Stefen David Wisniewski is a former American football guard and center. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft out of Penn State. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnathan Hankins</span> American football player (born 1992)

Johnathan Hankins is an American football nose tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he received All-American honors, and was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darqueze Dennard</span> American football player (born 1991)

Darqueze Derrell Dennard is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 2013. Dennard was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. J. Carrie</span> American football player (born 1990)

Travis J. Carrie is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Ohio after playing for De La Salle High School where he was an all-state cornerback, and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Carrie has also played with the Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Geathers</span> American football player (born 1992)

Clayton Geathers is a former American football safety. He played college football at UCF, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denzelle Good</span> American football player (born 1991)

Denzelle Good is a former American football offensive guard. He played college football at NC State and later Mars Hill, and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Kelly (American football)</span> American football player (born 1993)

Ryan Patrick Kelly is an American football center for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the Colts in first round of the 2016 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Joseph</span> American football player (born 1993)

Karl Myrthell Joseph is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at West Virginia and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. He has also played for the Cleveland Browns.

T. J. Green is an American football safety for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Clemson, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Parks</span> American football player (born 1994)

Will Parks is an American football safety who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and has played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. He played college football at Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Farley</span> American football player (born 1992)

Matthias Farley is an American football free safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Notre Dame. Farley was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Jones (safety)</span> American football player (born 1994)

Josh Jones is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at NC State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tedric Thompson</span> American football player (born 1995)

Tedric Thompson is a former American football safety. He played college football at the University of Colorado Boulder, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julién Davenport</span> American football player (born 1995)

Julién Raymond Davenport is an American football offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bucknell and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Davenport has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jayon Brown</span> American football player (born 1995)

Jayon Lee Brown is an American football middle linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, after playing college football at UCLA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Harrison</span> American football player (born 1997)

Ronnie Harrison Jr. is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quenton Nelson</span> American football player (born 1996)

Quenton Emerson Nelson is an American football guard for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame, where he was a unanimous All-American, and was selected by the Colts sixth overall in the 2018 NFL draft. Considered among the NFL's best guards, Nelson has received six Pro Bowl selections in his first six seasons in the NFL, as well as four All-Pro selections in his first four seasons, being named a first-team All-Pro in his first three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Wingard</span> American football player (born 1996)

Andrew Wingard, nicknamed Dewey is an American football safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wyoming. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by Jacksonville after the 2019 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Blackmon</span> American football player (born 1998)

Julian Blackmon is an American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah.

Dezmon Patmon is an American professional football wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Washington State.

References

  1. ↑ "Colts give up both fourth-round picks to move up 20 spots and pick safety Khari Willis". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Player of the Year Top 10: Faith, family drive Jackson Lumen Christi's Khari Willis to success on and off football field". mlive. November 10, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Khari Willis Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Khari Willis, Michigan State, SS, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  5. ↑ Walker, Andrew (April 27, 2019). "Colts Trade Up Into Fourth Round; Select Safety Khari Willis With 109th-Overall Pick". Colts.com.
  6. ↑ "2019 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Spotrac.com: Khari Willis contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts – September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Indianapolis Colts at Las Vegas Raiders – December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Colts Place S Khari Willis On Injured Reserve, Activate WR Dezmon Patmon From Injured Reserve, Elevate S Jahleel Addae To Active Roster From Practice Squad". Colts.com. November 4, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Colts Activate S-Khari Willis From Injured Reserve List, Waive S-Josh Jones, Place C-Ryan Kelly on the Reserve/COVID-19 List". Colts.com. December 4, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Colts' Khari Willis retiring after just three seasons to pursue ministry". Indianapolis Star. June 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wells, Mike (June 15, 2022). "Indianapolis Colts starting safety Khari Willis, 26, announces retirement after 3 seasons in NFL". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.