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Khari Willis

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Khari Willis
refer to caption
Willis with Michigan State in 2016
No. 37
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1996-05-07) May 7, 1996 (age 28)
Jackson, Michigan
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
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

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.

Early life

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
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-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 s 1.64 s 2.68 s 4.13 s 7.15 s 34.5 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 NFL Draft to the Oakland Raiders in order to move up and select Willis.[5] He was the 10th safety selected in 2019.

On May 13, 2019, the Indianapolis Colts signed Willis to a four-year, $3.28 million contract that included a signing bonus of $767,104.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10] He was activated on December 4.[11]

On June 15, 2022, Willis announced he was retiring to pursue ministry full-time.[12][13]

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. ^ "Spotrac.com: Khari Willis contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  7. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts – September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Las Vegas Raiders – December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Colts' Khari Willis retiring after just three seasons to pursue ministry". Indianapolis Star. June 15, 2022.
  13. ^ 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.
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