Willis was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and attended Edna Karr High School. Willis was a standout defensive tackle for the Cougars and was named the All-New Orleans Large Schools Defensive Player of the Year twice and was an All-America selection as a senior, when he made 107 tackles, including 43 for a loss and 15 sacks. He was widely considered to be one of the top defensive line prospects in his class and committed to play college football at the University of Florida over offers from Texas, LSU, Florida State, and Alabama, among others.
College career
Willis began his college career at Florida. He appeared in five games as a freshman, making 14 tackles. Willis forced a key red zone fumble in the Gators' 28–20 win in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl over East Carolina. After the season, Florida announced that Willis was dismissed from the team after several on and off the field incidents. Willis transferred to Miami after his dismissal and sat out the 2015 season due to NCAA transfer rules. As a redshirt sophomore, Willis made 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in nine games before tearing his MCL, an injury that caused him to miss the entire 2017 season. He was named second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and named second team All-America by Sports Illustrated in his redshirtsenior season after making 59 tackles, 18 of which were for loss, with four sacks.
Despite being projected to be a mid-round pick, Willis went unselected in the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent shortly after the conclusion of the draft on April 27, 2019. Willis was released by the Baltimore Ravens on August 31, 2019.
Willis was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad on September 2, 2019, but was waived two days later. The Dolphins re-signed Willis to their practice squad on September 23, 2019. He was promoted to the active roster on November 20, 2019. Willis made his NFL debut on November 24, 2019 against the Cleveland Browns. He was placed on injured reserve on December 13, 2019. Willis finished his rookie season with two tackles in two games played. Willis was released by the Dolphins on April 18, 2020.
