By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Almost nothing has ever come easy for Patrick Willis. Nothing, that is, except for football.

Football has always been the one thing that came naturally to Willis. It’s the one thing that has driven him to succeed in things that weren’t quite so natural. It’s how he went from cooking dinners for his siblings at the age of 6 and picking cotton to earn money at 10 to becoming the unquestioned best linebacker in this year’s NFL Draft.

To hear the story is to learn about Willis, but it doesn’t help to understand how he has arrived at this level.

“All of my life I have had to go out and prove myself so stepping to this next level, I feel like I am going to have to be the same, regardless of where I came from or what division I came in,” Willis said. “It’s the NFL, everybody is going to come to play so it doesn’t matter where you come from, it matters what you bring to the table on Sundays.”

But getting to the point where he can bring anything to the table on Sundays is what must be understood about Willis.

Growing up in tiny Bruceton, Tenn., Willis never had much in the way of personal belongings, nevermind the access to football camps and coaches that could make him into the type of player that would one day end up in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Willis prefers not to discuss what happened that resulted in his home situation deteriorating, saying only that there were “some complications with my dad and my mom wasn’t really around.” In fact, his parents separated when he was 4.

Because of the lack of parental figures, Willis figured out at an early age that he had to grow up fast. He took on household chores for he and his siblings.

Along the way, Willis found time to take up sports. He enjoyed football and basketball the most and realized that he had plenty of raw athletic ability.

When he was 16, Willis’ basketball coach at Central High, Chris Finley, became the legal guardian of Willis and his three siblings. By that time, Willis had become a force on the football field.

And though Willis was proving to be a future star at linebacker, hardly anyone took notice because Central High was classified in the Class A Division in Tennessee.

Despite earning Mr. Football honors for his class, recruiters weren’t exactly banging down Willis’ door. The chance to get out of Bruceton and create opportunities for his family seemed to be out of reach.

Making matters worse, Willis had to be separated from two of his siblings when caring for four children became too much for the Finleys. Patrick and brother Orey stayed with the Finleys while sister Ernicka and youngest brother Detris went to a foster home.

By the time he was a senior, Willis had finally done enough to garner interest from some schools. Mississippi was clearly the best of the interested schools, though, and Willis wanted to test his abilities at the best school possible.

For as mature as Willis was off the field, he had plenty of growing up to do on it.

“One thing I learned in the SEC is that you have to learn to grow up fast because it is one of the best conferences in college football,” Willis said. “Just making it to the next level means you are the best of the best, if I am fortunate enough to make it there.”

Willis still calls signing with the Rebels the proudest moment of his life. It meant a chance for he and his family, a way out that hadn’t been there before. He dived head first into the opportunity.

After spending two years adjusting to the speed and athleticism of his bigger, more polished teammates and opponents, Willis finally became a starter in time for his junior season.

Instantly, he made an impact on the Rebels’ defense. And any questions about the toughness of the linebacker from the tiny Tennessee school went away as Willis fought through injury after injury on his way to leading the NCAA with 90 solo tackles.

That season, Willis suffered a separated right shoulder in the season opener and throughout the season added broken middle finger, torn medial collateral ligament and a broken foot to the laundry list of injuries.

Willis briefly considered entering the NFL Draft after his breakthrough season, but decided that he wanted to complete his degree and play out his eligibility. Besides, he had unfinished business.

Had Willis entered the draft, he probably would have gone somewhere in the middle rounds. Upon his return, Willis left an indelible imprint that he is, without question, the best linebacker in the draft.

As a senior, Willis earned All American honors and the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker as he racked up 137 tackles.

Entering the NFL Draft, the questions about Willis amount to nitpicking more than anything. Some scouts say he isn’t big enough to play the middle and aren’t sure where he will fit in. Others claim that Willis is more of a two-down linebacker without the athleticism to stay on the field on sure passing downs.

To the critics, Willis says look at the film.

“The past two years, injured or not injured I have been on the field every down,” Willis said. “This season I didn’t come off one snap. I believe for the most part I was better in my past defense. I let the critics say what they say and I am going be coached and whatever I need to do I am going to do.”

In the not too distant future, Willis will finally punch the ticket that will help his family get to a place where they can live comfortable.

“It will be a blessing especially the way I grew up not having much,” Willis said. “I just hope I will be able to give back to those who have helped me along the way and I hope someday when I have a family they won’t have to go through what I did.”

But even now, things still aren’t coming easy.

Already hardened to the world, Willis couldn’t quite get through college without being hit by more tragedy. His brother, Detris, drowned while swimming with friends when Willis was 21.

The hardships that Willis has been through in his life would be enough to make anyone want to pack it in and give up. Not Willis. For he has taken all of the experiences life has thrown his way and turned into something better: motivation.

“My real life experience brought to the game of football has taught me how to compete through adversity no matter what the situation is,” Willis said. “Just like in life, there are going to be problems on the field. There’s going to be times where you don’t feel like playing and times where you can’t do something but you have to find a way to get the job done and that’s how we put two and two together in real life and on the field.”