#15

Donald Willis

Former linebacker at Western Michigan. 2024: 109 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

LB · Western Michigan · Sr. · #15

6′2″ · 220 lb · Garfield Heights, OH

CFB Index 68 · #138 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferenceWestern Michigan 2024 — college career complete

The story

Former linebacker at Western Michigan. 2024: 109 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

Transferred from Minnesota to Western Michigan in 2023.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Six seasons at Western Michigan, 191 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

202310 games

Entered the portal

202413 games

All-MACthird

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

2 teams

2019–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-MAC

All-MAC mention (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2019–2024

2 coaches

2019–2022

Tim Lester

Western Michigan

2023–2024

Lance Taylor

Western Michigan

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Tim Lester → Lance Taylor. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2019Minnesota11-2HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy

2020Minnesota3-4HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy

2021Minnesota9-4HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy

2022Minnesota9-4HC: P.J. Fleck · Run-heavy

2023Western Michigan4-8HC: Lance Taylor · Run-leaning

2024Western Michigan6-7HC: Lance Taylor · Run-leaning, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

68Quality starter #138 of 571?

High confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (99th percentile). Strength: tackles (99th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Solo tackles#14 / 2892 · 99th pct

Tackles#29 / 2892 · 99th pct

109

QB hurries#255 / 2892 · 89th pct

Passes defended#327 / 2892 · 86th pct

Tackles for loss#419 / 2892 · 84th pct

6.0

Sacks#841 / 2892 · 63rd pct

1.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home6g	7.7	0.6	0.2	0.0
Road7g	9.0	0.4	0.0	0.6

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-77g	8.3	0.6	0.0	0.4
Weeks 8+6g	8.5	0.2	0.2	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Lance Taylor

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

68 · #138 of 571 LBs

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Western Michigan	109	62	6.0	1.0	4	--	--
2023	Western Michigan	40	26	6.5	3.5	2	--	--
2022	Minnesota	15	9	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
2021	Minnesota	16	13	0.5	0.0	2	--	--
2020	Minnesota	10	7	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
2019	Minnesota	1	1	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		191	118	13.0	4.5	8	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2024

W 59–31

vs Bethune-Cookman

6 TOT · 3 SOLO · 1 TFL

Dominant 28-point win at home against Bethune-Cookman.

With H. Wolff — 305 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · QBR 87.1 · -2 rush yds (2 car) · J. Nixon — 189 rush yds (17 car) · 2 TD

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	SACK	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 14-28@ Wisconsin	10	6	1.0	0.0	—	2
Wk 2	L 0-56@ Ohio State	11	6	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 3	W 59-31vs Bethune-Cookman	6	3	1.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	L 20-27@ Marshall	7	4	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 6	W 45-42@ Ball State	9	6	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	W 34-24vs Akron	5	3	1.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 48-41@ Buffalo	7	6	0.0	0.0	—	1
Wk 9	W 52-21vs Kent State	2	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 11	L 28-42vs Northern Illinois	9	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	L 13-31@ Bowling Green	7	5	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	L 14-16@ Central Michigan	12	4	0.5	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	W 26-18vs Eastern Michigan	14	9	1.0	1.0	—	0	Season-high 14 tackles
Bowl	L 23-30vs South Alabama	10	4	0.0	0.0	—	0
Total		109	62	6.0	1.0	—	4

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology