App State is the latest football program to discover that, when it comes to the transfer portal, you win some and you lose some.
Earlier this month, Virginia Tech wide receiver Jacoby Pinckney announced that he is transferring into the App State football program. A week later, it’s being reported that defensive lineman Chris Willis has opted to enter his name into the NCAA transfer database.
Thus far, there’s been no official confirmation from App State on Willis’ status with the team.
Willis was a two-star member of the Mountaineers’ 2016 recruiting class. The 6-2, 260-pound end took a redshirt his true freshman season.
In 2017 and 2018, Willis played in a combined 25 games. The North Carolina native started five of the last six games of the 2018 season. He headed into summer camp as the presumptive starter, but a non-contact injury prior to the season kicking off knocked him out for the entire year.
During his time with the App State football team, Willis totaled 39 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and a forced fumble.
App State posted a school-record 13 wins this past season. The Mountaineers claimed their fourth straight shared or outright Sun Belt Conference championship in 2019. In mid-December, Eli Drinkwitz left App State after one season to take over the Missouri football program. The Mountaineers stayed in-house as offensive line coach Shawn Clark was confirmed as Drinkwitz’s replacement three days later.
Because of the obvious connection between Drinkwitz and Willis, Mizzou will likely be a potential landing spot for the lineman.
