Ken Willis Signs Letter of Intent to Cincinnati

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, OHIO — Class of 2022 CB and Colerain native Ken Willis has officially signed his letter of intent to Cincinnati, per reports.

Willis, who announced his verbal commitment to the Bearcats in June of 2021, clocks in as the No. 45-ranked recruit (247 Sports Composite) in the state of Ohio and the 112th highest rated cornerback in the country. A 5-foot-11, 160-pound Buckeye-area native, he sports 64 tackles and two interceptions since 2019.

“It’s crazy,” Willis told WCPO Cincinnati. “From what coach (Luke) Fickell came in to do and changed the program around, it’s just exciting to see. Ready to get up there and make an impact.”

Willis joins a current top-30 recruiting class highlighted by the likes of secondary studs JQ Hardaway (four-star safety), Oliver Bridges (three-star cornerback) and Karen Carroll (three star cornerback) among others. He — along with Bridges and Carroll — caught the eye of Cincinnati cornerbacks coach Perry Eliano, who visited the Willis house earlier in December. But the decision had already been made long before the visit or UC’s success on the field.

“The crazy thing about it was I committed before all the rankings and stuff,” Willis said. “I knew where I wanted to go, so it’s fun to see them progress through the season, have all this talk about them. But, I made my decision before all that was talked about, so I’m proud of that.”

Eliano joined the Bearcats staff in March of 2020. He’s trained the likes of All-Americans Ahmad Gardner and Coby Bryant to success on the field. Now, it’s guys like Willis’ turn for th Cincinnati Bearcats.

Ken Willis’s Other Offers

Army, Ball State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Toledo and West Virginia