[2] Originally from Morris, Alabama and Mortimer Jordan High School, Willis was inducted as a member of the Florida State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
During his successful senior year in 1989 (his first and only season as the starting quarterback), he led the team to 10 straight victories, including an impressive 41–17 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Fiesta Bowl.
On a team that many considered the nation's best at year's end, Willis helped put the exclamation point on that notion with a 41–17 win over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.
Willis worked in the broadcast booth as a color analyst with "the voice of the Seminoles", long time FSU play-by-play announcer Gene Deckerhoff.
Following ten years of service, his contract was not renewed after the 2007–2008 football season because the Florida State administration and coaches felt he was "too critical" of the program.