Editor's Note: Patrick Willis will be honored this Saturday, Oct. 5, with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during Ole Miss' game against Vanderbilt in Oxford, Mississippi. He will be officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10 in New York City.

Patrick Willis
University of Mississippi
Linebacker, 2003-06

• Named a 2006 consensus First Team All-American and recipient of the 2006 Butkus Award.
• Led the nation in solo tackles (9.0 per game) as a junior.
• Finished career ranked sixth all-time at Ole Miss with 355 career tackles.
• Played for coaches David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron.
• Becomes the ninth Ole Miss player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

 
Patrick Willis was a wide-eyed freshman in 2003 who was looking for some way — any way — to make an immediate impact.

So, like any rookie worth his salt, he figured special teams would be a good place to start. And he did just that in Ole Miss' seventh game of the season, delivering a bone-crushing hit on Alabama's Ramzee Robinson on the Rebels' first kickoff that set the tone for a road rout at Bryant-Denny Stadium. But it is not the hit that sticks out for Willis all these years later. No, the student of the game remembers all of the preparation.

"When I hit the guy, it wasn't just that lick, it was what led up to that," Willis said. "That week, I remember asking Coach (Ron) Middleton — he was our special teams coach and he was the running backs coach at the time — I literally went into the facility earlier that week and I said: 'Coach, can you sit down with me and help me understand how Kelvin Robinson is having these big ol' hits on kickoffs? I want to hit someone like that.'

"And he was like: 'Well yeah, of course.' He could've said 'just go hit somebody,' but we sat down and he was showing me film, he was just going through clicking, clicking and finally he just said: 'You know what, when the ball is kicked off, you just run as fast as you can and you hit whatever is moving.' I said: 'Well shoot, I can do that.'

"Anyway, here we are on a Saturday, the week goes by and it's Alabama and of course, you know how wild that atmosphere is on game day. And that kickoff, that play was when everyone was kind of like: Who is this kid and where did he come from? That was probably one of my biggest on-field moments."

Willis made the absolute most of his four seasons in Oxford, from start to finish. He is the Rebels' ninth former player to make the College Football Hall of Fame, this after a career that included consensus First Team All-America honors and the Butkus Award during his senior season. The 2006 SEC Defensive Player of the Year led the conference in tackles as both a junior (128) and senior (137). As a freshman, he helped lead Ole Miss to a share of the SEC West title and a final No. 13 ranking.

Willis was every bit the stud in the classroom, earning Academic All-SEC honors and receiving the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award in 2007.
 
A Bruceton, Tennessee, native, Willis always had his sights set on playing for the Volunteers. But after several unofficial trips on his own dime as a high schooler to Knoxville, the Tennessee staff told him they were more interested in other linebackers and that they had some concerns about his ACT score. After receiving the news, Willis made the five-hour ride home with tears in his eyes at being denied the opportunity to prove his dedication and loyalty.

His foster father helped him get over the rejection, telling him to wipe those tears away and show the Vols what they were missing.

Ole Miss entered the picture shortly afterward, and the rest is history. Willis played for two different head coaches (David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron) and four different position coaches during his time in Oxford, turnover that could have tested weaker players.

Still, all the change just reaffirmed Willis' love for the place that took a chance on him — a place that helped him become the 11th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Willis made seven Pro Bowls in eight seasons with the 49ers, leading the league in tackles twice before retiring at the top of his sport after the 2014 season.