Eager for a chance to get on campus and prove himself in the spring, Carver Willis graduated Durango High School early last December and began his journey at Kansas State.
Willis, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound offensive lineman, was enrolled in classes while also in the football classroom learning in team and positional meetings. He was participating in early-morning weight lifting sessions and voluntary practices, but he never got the taste of the full spring practices he had looked forward to since he signed with the Wildcats in the fall.
As he left Manhattan, Kansas, for spring break, everything shut down because of the new coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, there were no spring practices to look forward to when break was over.
“Everything is a little different right now than what I was expecting,” Willis said Friday in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “I’ve just had to adjust and go with it.”
Willis finished his high school classes early knowing he had a chance to earn playing time as a true freshman at Kansas State. All five of the Wildcats’ starting offensive linemen from a year ago graduated and only one lineman who saw playing time in 2019 returned to the team. He felt getting on campus early and going through spring practices would help him get entrenched with the Wildcats and head coach Chris Klieman’s program.
“It’s a little disappointing,” Willis said of not getting spring practices. “Then you have to realize everyone is going through this, not just us at K-State. All of the guys across the nation are going through this. At some point, you just look around and know this is a big deal, and my disappointment of wanting to play football isn’t going to change the situation.”
Willis, who was a Class 3A first team all-state player at DHS as a senior, remained in Durango for a few weeks after spring break but returned to his apartment in Manhattan as soon as he could. He finished up spring classes online this week, but all summer classes have been canceled.
While he has stuck to his nutrition plan, Willis has been able to work out with teammate Sam Shields at his home gym, as the fellow freshman offensive lineman is from Manhattan.
“I’m bulking up, trying to put on weight,” Willis said. “I still have to gain a lot of weight if I want to have the possibility of playing.”
After making the quick transition from high school to college, Willis is eager to get back with his team as soon as possible.
“School is good and football is awesome,” he said. “The team and coaches have been really great, and the adjustment wasn’t extremely difficult except for getting those early wake ups for workouts. I’m feeling good going into the summer and am excited for it. Hopefully football starts back up and can make it all the better.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
