Khari Willis

BIOGRAPHY

Khari Willis was born May 7, 1996, in Jackson, Michigan. He is a safety in the NFL.

Willis was born to parents Mary and John among nine siblings. He is the cousin of former NFL player Bill Brooks. He grew up being a fan of Floyd Mayweather, Hancock, and fried chicken. Willis graduated from Jackson Lumen Christi Catholic High School in 2015 and holds the school record for most yards in a season with 2,800.

He was a four-year letter winner and played in 46 career games, including 30 starting assignments at safety. Willis ended his career with 26 straight starts at safety in 2017 and 2018, serving as a team captain in 2018. He recorded 196 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, along with four interceptions and 16 pass break-ups in his career. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Willis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in social science, with an emphasis on community governance and advocacy, in December 2018. He was the keynote player speaker at the 2018 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in Chicago and delivered an inspirational speech calling on his fellow Big Ten players to make a difference in their communities; he received a standing ovation and video of his speech went viral across social media. Willis was selected one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award; to be eligible for the prestigious award – which former Spartan quarterback Kirk Cousins won in 2011 – a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.

Willis was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Willis recorded his first career sack.