75 DAYS TO 2016 KICKOFF: Jordan Willis

Jordan Jonathan Willis (b. May 2, 1995) is a long defensive end who has has started every game during the last two seasons, including posting a career-best statistical season as a junior.

He currently is tied for third among active Big 12 players with 26 career starts, will look to increase his production and add valuable leadership to the defensive line in 2016, and also was voted a team captain for the 2016 season.

Willis played in nine games in 2013 as a true freshman, including the Iowa State contest, in which he made a sack.

He started all 13 games in 2014, coming away with 25 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and a pass breakup.

Willis carded a career-best two sacks against Oklahoma State and came back with two more tackles for loss, with a career-high seven tackles overall, at TCU.

He also carded five tackles at Oklahoma, and recorded a sack against both Stephen F. Austin and West Virginia.

In 2015, Willis broke out in stalwart fashion, serving as one of the bright spots on a very mediocre season.

He started all 13 games, recording 36 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three pass breakups, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He also blocked a field goal at Oklahoma State.

Willis ranked 13th nationally and tied for first in the Big 12 Conference in forced fumbles, while he was 24th in the NCAA and second in the league in sacks. He also ranked fourth in the Big 12 in tackles for loss, thanks to at least half a TFL in nine of the 13 games, and carded a season-high six tackles against Louisiana Tech, with 3.5 sacks.

His sack total against the Bulldogs was the second-highest for a single game in school history, the highest by a Wildcat in Bill Snyder Family Stadium history and tied for the 10th highest nationally during the 2015 season.

Willis also had two sacks against Iowa State, versus Kansas and in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, with the last tying him for third in K-State history for a bowl game.

He forced two fumbles against Iowa State, which was tied for the highest mark in the nation during the season.

Willis is a freak of nature, pure and simple. Although some questioned whether he left it all on the field at the high school level, there is no doubt in my mind that Bill Snyder is mining every ounce of talent out of him.

Three years ago, I correctly predicted the coaches wouldn't be able to redshirt this specimen or keep him off the field. It wasn't that stellar of a prediction, however. With the talent deficit we have, why not play him immediately?

You can watch Willis' highlight video from Rockhurst High School here, but I actually recommend Googling him and finding any one of several videos of him in the weight room. The dude is a workout warrior.

There's one video of him doing a seated box jump of 57 inches and another of 60. That's more than first-round draft pick and explosive Houston Texans starter J.J. Watt did during the NFL Combine. And Willis was in high school.

A three-year letterman for the Hawklets and a 2012 Kansas City Star All-Metro first-team performer, Willis recorded 58 tackles and nine sacks during his senior season.

He was named to the MaxPreps 2012 Missouri preseason All-State team prior to his senior year, after amassing 60 total tackles and 13 sacks during his junior campaign.

Willis helped Rockhurst to a Missouri Class 6 state championship and a 13-0 finish as a sophomore in 2010. With another excellent season in 2016, he should be the primary candidate to continue K-State's record NFL Draft streak.