Seven days after receiving a release from UCLA, and seven months removed from leaving North Carolina originally, Brandon Willis is a member of the Tar Heels football program. Again.
According to a release issued by the school, and as expected, Willis has signed a scholarship agreement with UNC that makes him a Tar Heel for the second time in less than a year. Willis originally enrolled at UNC in January 2010, and then transferred to UCLA last August. He will enroll in UNC’s first session of summer school this May.
“Brandon lost his mother in high school and is very close with his grandmother, who lives in Burlington and is battling health issues,” head coach Butch Davis said in a statement. “He and his father wanted to move back to the East coast to be with her. There were no hard feelings when Brandon originally left and when he inquired about the possibility of returning, we welcomed him back.”
Also as expected, the release stated that UNC will submit a waiver to the NCAA requesting Willis be declared immediately eligibility for competition for the 2011 season. If the waiver is granted -- and it would be granted based on his grandmother’s ailing health -- he will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Willis was forced to sit out the 2010 season after transferring to the Bruins. If the waiver is denied, he would be forced to sit out for a second consecutive season.
Willis was a member of UNC’s 2010 class, and was the No. 7 defensive end in the country according to Rivals.com. He participated in spring practice with the Tar Heels last year, and was also permitted to practice with the Bruins after transferring.