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- Thread starter NFBuck
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Damion Willis has gone from Last Chance U. to starting wideout with the Cincinnati Bengals
John Fay, Cincinnati EnquirerPublished 4:03 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2019 | Updated 9:45 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2019
Damion Willis was on the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U. four years ago. As the title indicates, the show is not often a launching board for an NFL career
The show focused on players at East Mississippi Community College. Willis went from EMCC to Troy. He did some nice things at Troy – 56 catches for 876 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
Troy Trojans wide receiver Damion Willis (15) is named most valuable offensive player of the Dollar General Bowl held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. (Photo: Chip Dillard/Special to the Advertiser)
It wasn't enough to get Willis drafted.
But that didn't stop Willis from earning a starting spot at wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. The club is confident enough in Willis that he will be held out of the final preseason game, but start Sept. 8 in the season opener against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Damion Willis (9) and New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins (20) reach for a pass as it lands incomplete in the second quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 3 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime. (Photo: Sam Greene)
Willis got the news from reporters Sunday.
"It's very good news," Willis said. "It's something I've been driven by my whole life, to play in the league. The only goal I was focusing on right now was making the 53-man roster. And then the next goal is to be getting actual playing time. So when I just found that out, I'm really happy. Really blessed."
Willis has nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in the preseason.
If you watched Last Chance U. in 2015, you might not have noticed Willis.
"When I first got there, I didn't even know they were coming," Willis said. "They came in the midst of fall camp. It was pretty good. I wasn't like a star or nothing in it. You'd just see me walking in the background, see me walking to class or see me at practice or just catching the ball in the game. It was nothing like I was talking."
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sp...8o7m3s9rvlKeVLW0aTZe-oOhsqTGsFE0SQwVAz9-u5B9s
John Fay, Cincinnati EnquirerPublished 4:03 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2019 | Updated 9:45 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2019
Damion Willis was on the Netflix documentary series Last Chance U. four years ago. As the title indicates, the show is not often a launching board for an NFL career
The show focused on players at East Mississippi Community College. Willis went from EMCC to Troy. He did some nice things at Troy – 56 catches for 876 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
Troy Trojans wide receiver Damion Willis (15) is named most valuable offensive player of the Dollar General Bowl held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. (Photo: Chip Dillard/Special to the Advertiser)
It wasn't enough to get Willis drafted.
But that didn't stop Willis from earning a starting spot at wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. The club is confident enough in Willis that he will be held out of the final preseason game, but start Sept. 8 in the season opener against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Damion Willis (9) and New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins (20) reach for a pass as it lands incomplete in the second quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 3 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime. (Photo: Sam Greene)
Willis got the news from reporters Sunday.
"It's very good news," Willis said. "It's something I've been driven by my whole life, to play in the league. The only goal I was focusing on right now was making the 53-man roster. And then the next goal is to be getting actual playing time. So when I just found that out, I'm really happy. Really blessed."
Willis has nine catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in the preseason.
If you watched Last Chance U. in 2015, you might not have noticed Willis.
"When I first got there, I didn't even know they were coming," Willis said. "They came in the midst of fall camp. It was pretty good. I wasn't like a star or nothing in it. You'd just see me walking in the background, see me walking to class or see me at practice or just catching the ball in the game. It was nothing like I was talking."
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sp...8o7m3s9rvlKeVLW0aTZe-oOhsqTGsFE0SQwVAz9-u5B9s
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Finished season 5, definitely my least favorite of the series. It wasn’t bad, but it was just missing something. I think that there was no real “villain.” Beam could be a hard ass, but you could tell he cared about the kids. He didn’t have the same antagonistic aura that Stephens and Brown did. None of the players really stood out as “bad guys”, either.
Bummed the series is done with football, I really enjoyed these.
Bummed the series is done with football, I really enjoyed these.
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It's worth watching, for sure; but just had a different feel than the other seasons. Seems like it focused more on the personal lives/backgrounds vice on field and the academic side of things.
If I had to grade the seasons, for me it would be:
Season 1: A
Season 2: A-
Season 3: B
Season 4: B+
Season 5: B-
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My daughter is pushing me to watch this. She says the coach reminds her of my coaching days....
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Amazing series, though I agree this season felt a tad off and I didn't like it as much as previous seasons. I think part of it is that there's only so many spins you can put on the show's concept. In any event, still a very good season and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I went back to Season 1 though and remembered why it was such magic. Between Ollie, DJ Law, Buddy Stephens, the lion-voice crazy dude, all the local Scooba deep-south types input, and wanting to marry that academic Ms. Teacher Lady that is so close with all the players...then the fight at the end of the season and the suspensions. Not sure how it gets any better than S1 of Last Chance U.
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Yeah, season 1 set the bar. That EMCC team was talented and its fun following the guys now in real time. The Indy team and coach were too much drama, mainly the coach who loved himself WAY too much! I like the stories of the kids in general and thats why I dont think this series could ever get stale. I really liked this last season because the coach was an actual coach, who cared about the kids and the city and wasn't showing off for the cameras. And the stories about the main players: RJ, Dior, Nu nu, and Rezjohn were eye opening and heart breaking all in the same. You want to root for the kids to make it so bad, and that goes for every season, but especially this last one. When you see a kid who's married with 2 children, another living in his car while working, and another who has D1 offers but an injury could derail his career thats a lot of emotion. Sad to see the series go, but it went out on a high note
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Yeah the kids this season had some really tough backgrounds and stories. I was definitely thinking how COVID probably took away whatever season they might have had. You wonder how JUCO schools are even going to make it through all of this. I am with you on being sad to see the series go though, I definitely would have kept watching it. I might have been mild critical of the Laney season, but it was still fantastic. Like you said, first EMCC season just set the bar unrealistically high.
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Anybody watch ‘Last Chance U: Basketball’?
I’m about 2/3 through the season and I’m really enjoying it. I didn’t think I’d like it nearly as much as the football seasons, but I’ve been surprised.
I’m about 2/3 through the season and I’m really enjoying it. I didn’t think I’d like it nearly as much as the football seasons, but I’ve been surprised.
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I've finished it, and I loved the coach and thought he was the best out of all of the seasons. I liked the kids' stories as well, and it shows the difference in mindset of these kids and the D1 players. I'm more of a football fan, but I really loved the stories in this years. Easier to do basketball with fewer players. I can't wait to follow Deshaun(heart goes out to him), KJ(he could be special and find himself in some pro league) and Joe(hope he matures, because he's uber talented).
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I just finished it now. Agreed about the coach...hell all three of the coaches were great and all very likeable. And it was definitely easier to root for the kids. I never got invested much in the teams' success during the football seasons, but I was rooting like hell for them in that playoff game.
As a season, it far exceeded my expectations and might be my favorite season of the series. The football seasons may have had more pure entertainment in a "car crash" kind of way, but this season really succeeded in sucking me in and getting me to care about the individuals.
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