Coach Spotlight: ’27 Alabama commitment called a future ‘bonafide five-star’

Alabama received its first ’27 commitment on July 30. Ba’Roc Willis , linebacker from Moody High School (Ala.), committed prior to the start of his sophomore season. Willis isn’t your typical 15-year old. His head coach, who played in the SEC, and has coached some high-end recruits. He believes Willis is mature beyond his years.

“He’s such a special player, but he’s also a really good kid,” Coach Jake Ganus said. “Sometimes you have kids who might be a better player than they are person, but  Ba’Roc has such a good head on his shoulders.

“He’s so mature. People see how he is a class of 2027 kid, but he operates and handles himself like a freshman in college. He’s had that mind-set since he was in middle school.”

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Ganus spent several years coaching at Thompson High School where he worked with several future college players including Alabama linebacker Jeremiah Alexander . He compares the new Crimson Tide commitment to the redshirt sophomore.

“Ba’Roc and Jeremiah have a lot of similarities at this stage,” he said. “I put Ba’Roc in the No. 7 jersey because of how similar he is to Jeremiah. He is Jeremiah’s size (as a senior) right now as a sophomore. He has the same size and body comp.

“I think he has the ability to grow or stay where he is weight-wise. He has great speed and hips. He can stand up and come off the edge like Jeremiah. It will depend on how much taller he gets. He’s one of the biggest 15-year olds I’ve seen. He’s not sloppy.  He’s one of the fastest kids we have as well.”

Willis is one of two in-state (’27) commitments for Alabama as the Tide also added EDGE Jabarrius Garror (Prichard-Vigor) the day after (7/31) Willis announced his decision. Willis will begin his sophomore season as one of the most physically imposing sophomores in the country. Coach Ganus doesn’t see him as a just one with impressive attributes, but one who also studies and wants to make it even beyond the college level.

“Not many kids these days are spending time watching film of other players to see what they are doing and then apply that to their game,” his coach said. “He’s watching highlights of Lawrence Taylor and Will Anderson to learn what they do. I see him work on those same pass rush moves on the practice field. It’s special to watch.

“You pair that with his work ethic, mind, body and frame there is no doubt he is a Top 50 overall player in the country. You see him with the mental and physical attributes; he is a bonafide five-star in every way.

“I am excited to see where his game goes. I also coached Peter Woods (Clemson sophomore defensive lineman). He wasn’t as big as Ba’Roc as a freshman. Ba’Roc can play the edge. He has great hips and is great in coverage. He is 6-foot-3, 228-pounds and looks good.”

Coach Ganus wasn’t surprised with the early commitment to Alabama. He’s taken Willis on several recruiting visits during the last two years including multiple trips to Tuscaloosa. Alabama was the childhood favorite, he also formed a great relationship with the new Tide staff.

Willis had several additional scholarship offers including Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. There are a few others including Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State who have also expressed high interest.

“Coach Roach did a really good job of getting on him early,” Coach Ganus said. “Christian Robinson is also a really good friend of mine. We spent some time in the OLB room. They think he can be a Wolf because of the different things he can do, but will just depend on how much bigger he gets.

“Other schools will obviously still recruit him, and it will really pick up steam next year. He started the process early though. Alabama was such a huge offer for him. All the others schools who offered really wanted him. He toured places like Alabama, Auburn and LSU. He was just ready to commit to Alabama.

“He cares a lot about Moody football and wants to focus on his season rather than having everyone come up asking where he’s going to school. He visited the top schools on his list, and he fully believes he is 100-percent locked-in with the decision.”

Willis accounted for 79 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He has a great foundation in his life which includes his mother, and older brother who have helped guide him in the right direction. He also has a coaching staff and community with tremendous support.

Coach Ganus has been around a lot of great players whether it was during his playing career at UAB and Georgia to coaching some of the nation’s best high school recruits. He believes Willis is on a great trajectory with his tremendous athletic ability at such an early age.

“He’s a humble kid who’s already been through some hardships in life,” his coach said. “His mom is an angel and really does a great job taking care of Ba’Roc, along with his older brother. I think he’s someone who will play on Sundays. I’m not scared to put that out there.

“I am going to speak it into existence. We have to go ahead and develop the NFL work ethic and habits that it will take for him to play on Sundays. I probably had the mental aspect of it, but not the physical; Ba’Roc has both.”

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