Yasin Willis, one of the top players in New Jersey’s 2024 recruiting class, didn’t let his lofty four-star ranking keep him from participating on Sunday at the Rivals New Jersey camp. Despite not having anything to prove, Willis put in a strong number of reps in an effort, he says, to solidify his backing as the top running back in the state.
Willis is ranked the top player in the state according to Rivals where he is also a four-star and the No. 103 player in the nation. The St. Joseph’s Regional (Montvale, N.J.) prospect is heading into a very busy June where he will be taking several official visits.
He tells Rutgers Wire that he has three official visits lined up and is eyeing to potentially take all five official visits. Willis’ three official visits as of right now:
He said that Georgia and Tennessee are in the mix for his final two official visits. But one program that has emerged recently, Willis said, is Illinois.
The Illini are making a strong impression and are likely to get an official visit.
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As for Rutgers, Willis says things are going well with the program. Despite having been at the program more than any other school, he said the reason for his official is clear.
“Because they told me that when you go on an official, it’s different. I go there a lot but I’m not around the players as much. I’m going to be a player for a day, basically, and being all the players and seeing what it is like,” Willis told Rutgers Wire.
“Definitely, they’ve always been a lot of love going on with Rutgers ever since I was a freshman. They’ve always been there for me.”
Willis is also developing a relationship with Damiere Shaw, the running backs coach at Rutgers. Last year, Shaw was the wide receivers coach but he was moved to running backs this offseason.
The relationship is growing between Shaw and New Jersey’s top-ranked prospect.
“I’ve been talking to him almost every week, we talk about football, we talk about certain things in life,” Willisa said about Shaw.
“He’s a great coach (and) he’s close to the people he’s recruiting. It’s not just football with him., we talk life.”
Michigan is going to be a big visit for Willis. Running backs coach Mike Hart has been after Willis to make the visit as has coach Chris Partridge, who spent the previous three years at Ole Miss.
“It’s good, I’ve been talking to coach Hart and coach Partridge as well. Actually, when coach Partridge was at Ole Miss, after he left, he kept an eye on me. He ended up giving me the scholarship to Michigan,” Willis said.
As for his trip to Ann Arbor, Willis is keeping an open mind on what he hopes to see.
“(Just) Everything, I just want to get the experience of being a Michigan football player,” Willis said.
“They don’t really say too much about it, they just want to get me down there to experience it myself.”
As for what matters to Willis, he said Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities are important, but it isn’t the priority in his recruitment. After his official visits are completed, he plans on sitting down sometime in July with his parents, his coaches, his uncle and his advisor, Latish Kinsler.
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A former college football player at Cincinnati who went on to spend time in the NFL and playing arena football, Kinsler is now advising several of the top players in New Jersey including Willis.
“NIL – it’s important to me but I really don’t get into those conversations, that’s for my parents and my advisor,” Willis said.
“I just have to do my part on and off the field.”
Willis didn’t have to participate in Sunday’s Rivals event and could have coasted on by after his measurements. Instead, he took a number of reps in order to prove himself and back up his ranking.
“I have things to prove to myself, I just want to go out there and compete with the best and best. Me being the best running back in New Jersey doesn’t mean anything if I don’t compete,” Willis said.
“I like to show that I’m the best.”
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