It’s been a steady progression over the last four years for Durango native Carver Willis’ football career. Willis graduated from Durango High School early in January 2020 to get to Kansas State. Therefore, Willis had more time to prepare for his first season of Division I college football.
But Willis didn’t see much action his freshman year or the next two years. He saw four games his freshman year in 2020, then redshirted in 2021. Willis then played seven games in 2022 as a redshirt sophomore.
His breakthrough finally came last season during his redshirt junior year. He played all 13 games and had seven starts. Willis said it was bittersweet for him to start the first seven games of the season.
His teammate Christian Duffie, who was supposed to start at right tackle, had a freak accident which resulted in him breaking his foot. Willis said he had a lot of emotions taking Duffie’s spot since he has a lot of respect and love for Duffie.
Despite his mixed emotions, Willis stepped up last year and was rewarded for his play with 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the Big 12 coaches. Willis was also a part of an offensive line unit that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given out to the top offensive line unit in the country.
Now Willis is back for his redshirt senior season ready to help continue the recent success of the Kansas State program.
“It’s been a lot of mental preparation, learning more football IQ, because I thought that's something I lacked,” Willis said about his offseason training. “Football IQ is pretty big. It's something that just allows you to slow down the game. I went out and trained with LeCharles Bentley’s staff in Arizona three times this year. So we worked a lot on technique and overall stance work and footwork that just helped, kind of slow down the game, help speed me up a bit.”
Willis also trained at center for the first time in his career this summer. He said the guys at AMDG Sports reached out to him and said it’s something good to have in his tool kit. But Willis will still play at right tackle this year.
At 6-foot-5-inches and listed at 291 pounds, it hasn’t been easy for Willis to be as big and powerful as he is right now.
He remembers weighing only 235 pounds after getting the West Nile virus going into his senior year. He then bulked up to 255 pounds when he arrived at Kansas State and then played as a true freshman at 265.
Willis has been deliberate with his diet so he doesn’t put on bad weight. He wants to remain athletic at his size. During the season, he eats 9,000 to 10,000 calories a day and tries to eat about 350-400 grams of protein a day.
He usually starts his day with an 8-12 egg omelet. He then has multiple protein shakes and mostly burgers and steaks for dinner. The majority of his food is provided by Kansas State along with his supplements.
While Willis’ physical transformation is impressive, his commitment to Kansas State is admirable too. Athletes can transfer without having to sit out a year. In today’s college sports landscape where athletes are constantly transferring for a bigger NIL (name, image and likeness) package, Willis stayed put at Kansas State despite only playing 11 games in his first three years.
“I'm a guy where my word matters and I looked at it as when I signed my National Letter of Intent, I signed my next four years to Kansas State,” Willis said. “No matter what, good, bad or worse. I told Kansas State I was going to be there. I told those coaches I was going to be there and so I was. Sure it wasn't the most fun not sitting there, but at some point, you also have to take self-accountability, right? Our coaches are paid to win and coach.”
During his junior year, Willis realized he was arrogant during his freshman year at Kansas State. He thought he had a starting job in the bag. He didn’t train hard enough and didn’t take his nutrition seriously enough.
Willis realized he couldn’t play a selfless position like offensive line with a selfish attitude. He got his priorities right, became more mature and became closer to God. He built a better relationship with his coaches with the knowledge that all of his coaches at Kansas State are there to help him.
After longtime Kansas State coach Bill Snyder retired in 2018, Chris Klieman took over the program. Klieman has led the Wildcats to four winning seasons and the 2022 Big 12 Championship. Kansas State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in every Klieman season.
Willis said Klieman is the ultimate team guy and a fantastic leader whose example spreads through the coaching staff and the players.
At Kansas State, Willis said his IQ is the part of the game that’s grown the most. He said IQ wasn’t needed that much in high school.
Willis said he wouldn’t have made it to the Division I level if it wasn’t for Durango High School football coach Mike Sutter. Willis called Sutter one of the best high school offensive line coaches in the country.
“That man is absolutely more than just a coach to me,” Willis said about Sutter. “He's a man of such high integrity and he lives with such intent that it spreads throughout his players. The discipline he lives with spreads out and helps … He's a guy who loves to win and he loves to surround himself with the best of the best. Mike Sutter is someone that I love, I try to live like, and he's someone I really admire. He's going to go find out the best solution to every problem you can find, and he's going to talk to the best of the best about it. He's someone that you always know he genuinely cares.”
While Willis is happy to look back at the past and reflect, he’s hesitant to look too far into the future. His only goal for this season? Look one game ahead. He’s not worried about the college football playoff or any rankings. Willis knows now to never overlook an opponent. With that being said, Willis is excited about playing at Colorado on Oct. 12.
After Kansas State, Willis would like to pursue an NFL career. If that’s not there, he’s looked into special operations in the military. After that, the Durangoan has thought about returning home and working with his mentor Mike Sutter.
“That's how big an impact that man has had on my life,” Willis said.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
