Getty Willis McGahee runs the ball in a Buffalo Bills game.
Willis McGahee IV is following in his dad’s footsteps.
The son of the former Buffalo Bills running back announced on Saturday, April 22 that he will be playing Division I college football in 2024, according to CBS Sports. While his father was a standout at the University of Miami — eventually being inducted into the school’s hall of fame — McGahee IV is choosing another big-name school and playing a different position.
Willis McGahee’s Son Makes Big Announcement
As Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports noted, the younger McGahee chose to attend the University of Nebraska. McGahee is a rising senior at Columbus High School in Miami and is ranked as the No. 24 linebacker in the country by the Top247 rankings.
“A stand-up edge rusher with strong bloodlines that can get after the quarterback,” 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote. “Size hasn’t been verified in a few years, but is built more like a linebacker than a traditional defensive end. Might lack the desired reach, but makes up for his lack of length with his burst and ability to change directions.”
🚨BREAKING🚨 2024 LB Willis McGahee IV has committed to Nebraska🌽
Read: t.co/VOZQApoahm
Before being drafted by the Bills in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, the elder McGahee had a stellar college career at Miami. He had 2,108 yards from scrimmage in his sophomore year and was a key part of the team that went to the national title game.
As SI.com’s Mike McDaniel noted, McGahee IV had interest from a number of top football programs, though his father’s alma mater was not one of them.
“The younger McGahee committed to the Cornhuskers over the likes of Auburn, Michigan, Tennessee and others,” he wrote. “He announced his decision on his personal Twitter account on Saturday morning.”
Willis McGahee’s Controversial Comments About Buffalo
While he was known as one of the top players in the team’s Drought Era — the 17-year stretch from 2000 to 2017 without a playoff berth — McGahee also sparked some controversy at the end of his tenure with the team. The Bills traded the running back to the Baltimore Ravens in 2007, and McGahee believes an out-of-context interview may have been the impetus.
“For one, they got mad at me,” McGahee said in 2013 when asked why he believed the team traded him. “I said in the magazine – a Toronto guy asked me (the question) – what do you think about Toronto? I said, ‘Oh, I think Toronto is a lovely city.’ It was like a setup. I didn’t know any better. He asked me how the Bills would do in Toronto…”
McGahee added that the story’s headline claimed he was “bashing” Buffalo, and he felt it was untrue.
“I said, ‘All I do is go to Dave & Buster’s and play video games’ . . . They said I bashed the girls (there). Listen, I’ve got a child in Buffalo . . . The next thing I know I was being traded.”
McGahee’s digs at the lack of entertainment in Buffalo became a running joke with fans. When the Bills drafted Marshawn Lynch to replace McGahee, Lynch poked fun at the statement in a segment where he ate at Applebee’s and Dave & Buster’s.
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