UF transfer Gerald Willis a pivotal member of Hurricanes’ scout team

The Hurricanes players behind the scenes — the scout-team players — have been making their own marks this season in getting the starters good looks and preparing them for their weekly opponents.

This week, in preparing for North Carolina (8-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio said he has been hearing good reports about defensive lineman Gerald Willis, a transfer from Florida, in his scout-team role.

D’Onofrio also praised freshman quarterback Evan Shirreffs as one of the scout-team leaders. “He’s really mature and handles his role really well.”

Also lauded was running back Joel Evans and offensive lineman Bar Milo.

“We’ve had a really good year from our scout team, much better than any other time I’ve been here,’’ D’Onofrio said.

On Wednesday, defensive end Ufomba Kamalu said he always watches “the offense whenever I get a break,” and that Willis is “always making plays. He’s a beast. He’s the real deal.

“Wherever the best player of the other team’s defense is, we usually put him there. He has really quick feet and quick hands.

“He’d be a really good tackle or end.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 7:44 PM with the headline "UF transfer Gerald Willis a pivotal member of Hurricanes’ scout team."