Priest Willis catches coach’s eye in day nine of UCLA training camp

SAN BERNARDINO — Priest Willis has had his fair share of detractors during his short time at UCLA, but the sophomore cornerback’s biggest supporter is the only one that matters.

“A guy that keeps jumping out to me, and you guys are going to laugh and think I’m full of crap, is Priest,” said coach Jim Mora. “There’s no doubt the guy’s a corner. He’s really doing a nice job.”

A disastrous freshman campaign in which he played sparingly and did little but surrender long receptions and touchdowns led many to feel the former five-star recruit wasn’t living up to his billing. But Mora held true to his belief that the high school safety was a college cornerback, listing Willis’ speed and length – measuring in at 6-foot-1-inch – as ideal qualities for a corner.

After a year of deflecting questions as to whether Willis was better suited to play safety, Mora has held true to his belief in what he thinks Willis’ best position is. And Willis is finally starting to show signs of proving his coach right in fall camp.

“Priest is doing really well. Light years from when he first touched this field when he got here last year,” said defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin. “He’s come along tremendously.”

The difference? Not added strength or speed, just simply confidence.

“When your team is behind you, that just gives you a big boost in confidence and your coaching staff believes in you and I believe in myself and I just had to come out and prove it,” Willis said.

As he grew more self-assured, Willis also began working on his technique with junior cornerback Fabien Moreau, who called Willis his little brother. Last year, Willis and Moreau would stay after practice and work together or go to Moreau’s room to review plays. Moreau quizzed Willis on the plays to force him to learn them better.

The result is a new Willis, his confidence apparent even from just his stance before the play begins to the way he walks. His teammates have taken notice of the change in his demeanor and seen it translate to Willis’ improved play.

“This Priest was the one that was supposed to come in last year,” said junior cornerback Ishmael Adams.

Despite the improvement from a year ago, Willis is still far from a dominant cornerback. After running with the first-team defense in nickel sets last week, Willis has been relegated to the second team the past two days following a rough showing Monday night in which he allowed two touchdown receptions.

The confidence is back, but his coaches still need to see more from Willis before he earns a larger role.

“Just consistency,” Martin said. “Being more consistent, getting in the film room, getting in the book, just doing the little things that those guys that want to go to the next level do.”

Changing of the guard

With the heat in San Bernardino inching closer to triple digits, it’s taken its toll on the offensive line in particular. Redshirt junior center Jake Brendel, sophomore guard/center Scott Quessenberry and sophomore guard Alex Redmond – among others – all missed Wednesday morning’s practice with various ailments and injuries, leading to another game of musical chairs along the O-line, a common occurrence throughout last season.

However, amid all the confusion and shifting of players to fill in the gaps remains one constant. And he just so happens to be one of the newest additions to the group.

Freshman guard NaJee Toran has emerged as a physical force during camp, staying healthy amid the injuries and performing well enough to have a “big possibility” of starting at right guard for UCLA in its first game against Virginia, Toran said Klemm indicated to him.

At 6-foot-3-inches and 275 pounds, Toran is far from the biggest player on the line, with 6-foot-7-inch, 327 pound redshirt senior left tackle Malcolm Bunche and 6-foot-5-inch, 310 pound sophomore right tackle Caleb Benenoch towering over him. Without the sheer mass to rely on, Toran has gotten by – and excelled – using what he does have: physicality.

“I’ve always been physical,” Toran said. “I don’t let people just punk me like that. I like to make people look stupid … make them look weak.”

More than just his toughness, it’s Toran’s violence, his mean streak that stood out to Mora and is echoed by his teammates. And Toran welcomes that description.

“That’s a good label. It lets people know you ain’t gonna take no mitt, you gonna be physical, you gonna perform.”

It’s also a label that’s helped him shed any chance veterans would feel the need to mess with the freshman.

“I nipped that in the bud real quick,” Toran said.