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Willis was hampered by injuries throughout his Cal career but still managed to play in 32 games with one start. He compiled career totals of 36 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss (0 yards), three pass breakups and one forced fumble with all of those numbers other than 12 tackles coming as a 2013 sophomore. He also made his lone career start as a cornerback at Washington during his sophomore campaign while he played in all 12 contests for the only time in his career as a 2012 redshirt freshman to mark a career high.
Cal Career (2011-15)
• Was hampered by injuries throughout his career but still managed to play in 32 games with one start over the last four seasons of his five campaigns with the program after redshirting as a true freshman in 2011
• Played cornerback, nickel back and safety on defense, wide receiver on offense and throughout his career was a regular on special teams when healthy
• Posted his most productive season as a 2013 sophomore over 10 games played including his lone career start as a cornerback at Washington when he had a career-high 24 of his 36 career tackles as well as his all of his other career stats besides tackles and games played with 0.5 tackles for loss (0 yards), three pass breakups and one forced fumble
• Played in a career-high 12 games all off the bench as a 2012 redshirt freshman
• Recorded all of his single-game career highs as a 2013 sophomore with seven tackles vs. Ohio State, one forced fumble vs. Northwestern and career-high tying single pass breakups at Oregon, vs. Oregon State and at Washington, as well his lone 0.5 tackles for loss (-0 yards) at Washington
• Changed his uniform to No. 18 beginning with 2012 spring workouts after wearing No. 17 in his first season with the program in 2011
Senior (2015)
• Played in nine games including each of the eight and contributed three tackles with two stops against Oregon State and one in his final collegiate contest in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Air Force
• Missed spring practices including the spring game due to injury
Junior (2014)
• Limited to only one game off the bench at Washington State due to injury and contributed two tackles
• Missed spring practices including the spring game due to injury
Sophomore (2013)
• Had the most production season of his collegiate career in 10 games played and his lone career start, moving from wide receiver to cornerback early in the season and totaling career highs of 24 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss (-0 yards), three pass breakups to tie for third on the team and one forced fumble to tie for second
• Recorded a career-high seven tackles vs. Ohio State, while he also had four stops at Stanford, three in three consecutive games vs. Washington State, vs. Oregon State and in his lone career start at Washington, two at Colorado and one vs. both Northwestern and Arizona
• Picked up his lone career forced fumble vs. Northwestern early in the third quarter that led to a Golden Bears score and a 24-20 lead; career-high tying single pass breakups at Oregon, vs. Oregon State and at Washington; and his lone career tackle for loss (0.5 TFL, -0 yards) at Washington
• Missed much of spring workouts including the spring game due to injury
Freshman (2012)
• Played in all 12 games off the bench primarily on special teams but also as a reserve wide receiver
• Contributed seven tackles
• Moved from defensive back to wide receiver during spring practice
• Registered a season-high two tackles in a win over Pac-12 South Division champion UCLA and had one stop each vs. Southern Utah, vs. Arizona State, at Washington State, at Utah and vs. Washington
• Had two kick returns for 35 yards in the spring game
Freshman (2011)
• Redshirted
• Did not play
Pacifica HS (Class of 2011)
• An All-Region choice of Prepstar and SuperPrep as a 2010 senior when he posted solid numbers on both sides of the ball with 90 tackles and three forced fumbles on defense, while making 40 catches for 905 yards receiving and running the ball for 345 yards and five touchdowns on offense
• Also had three touchdowns on returns during his senior campaign, bringing kickoffs back for scores of 95 and 77 yards, as well as a punt for 75
• Ran for 580 yards and six touchdowns as a 2009 junior, while adding 22 receptions for 289 yards receiving and two scores
• Had a hand-timed mark of 4.37 in the 40-yard dash, while his best times in the 100 and 200 meters were 10.50 and 21.47 recorded during his sophomore track season
Recruiting Notes (Class of 2011)
• A three-star recruit according to ESPN, Rivals and Scout
• Listed as the nation's No. 53 athlete according to Rivals, while Scout had him as the country's No. 67 cornerback
• SuperPrep listed him as the No. 83 player overall in California/Hawaii/Nevada
• Ranked No. 75 among all California players by Rivals
Other
• Full name is Joel Cameron Willis
• Born July 2, 1993
• Parents are Ray and Joy Willis
• Graduated from Cal in December of 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in legal studies
Willis' Career Game Highs
Tackles: 7 (vs. Ohio State, 2013)
Tackles For Loss: 0.5 (at Washington, 2013)
Tackle For Loss Yards: 0 (at Washington, 2013)
Forced Fumbles: 1 (vs. Northwestern, 2013)
Pass Breakups: 1 (three times, last at Washington, 2013)
Last Updated
March 23, 2017
