They used to call Darius Willis “Baby Daunte” because of his strong arm and ability to run over defenders like NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper. But the University at Buffalo true freshman is on the other side of the football now at linebacker and could make an immediate impact.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Willis came to UB as arguably coach Turner Gill’s most decorated recruit ever, a player who was offered scholarships by Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Houston.

While Gill has the program past the point of playing true freshmen and having them learn on the fly, it may be difficult to keep Willis off the field.

“I want to help my teammates when they’re down and be a role model, a leader and somebody they can look up to on the field,” Willis said last week following UB’s spring football practice. “When I step on the field, they know I’m going to give it my all. I’m looking to become a starter and push my teammates so they can become better.”

A strong, powerful player who plays the middle linebacker role with a physical presence, Willis also runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. The way the Bulls were carved up against the run last season, Willis may be just what UB needs.

“I know we’re not planning on red-shirting him,” Gill said. “We’ll see how it goes this spring and all the way through the fall. He’s a very, very intelligent young man and has a passion for football.”

Until recently, Willis also had a passion to play quarterback. He played the position as a sophomore and junior at Eisenhower High School in Houston, but near the end of his junior year he started to play wide receiver, tight end and running back. By his senior year, Willis primarily played linebacker.

Still, he wanted to play quarterback in college, which is why he chose UB, the only school that recruited him to play the position.

Many scouts believed Willis, who was only a part-time starter at quarterback, could reach his full potential at the position under the right guidance.

“Me and Coach Gill used to have long talks about how I was going to be a big part of the team,” Willis said. “I wanted to play quarterback and he persuaded me to come here. He told me I could be the man when Drew [Willy] left and I would have a chance to take over the team, so I was more than willing to play quarterback.”

And he would have gotten the opportunity but he didn’t qualify academically and was forced to sit out the 2008 season.

Gill signed quarterbacks Jerry Davis from California and later Zach Maynard from North Carolina, who are currently No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart, so Willis would have been playing catch-up at quarterback.

“I’m not going to say there was no way, but [Willis] was way behind the eight ball,” Gill said. “It would have taken him a lot longer to get to where he needed to go and he hadn’t played it for two or three years. I’m not saying he couldn’t have done it, but based on what we had going on, it would have been very difficult.”

Instead of attending a prep school or junior college, Willis elected to retake the SAT and enroll in January, preserving four seasons of eligibility. He stayed in shape with the help of a personal trainer and helped coach his cousin’s Little League football team.

“It made me grow up faster and made me think what I would do without football,” Willis said. “It got my head on straight. It was time to take care of business. It was real hard watching games and thinking you should be on the field playing against some of these teams. It was hard but it’s on now.”

He doesn’t think much about playing quarterback anymore although Willis joked after practice last week that he was considering throwing on some shorts and a green jersey and showing off his arm to Gill. Quarterback is in Willis’ past.

“I’m getting in a groove, so I like playing linebacker now,” he said. “It’s easier to me. Sometimes I have to stay too calm when I’m under center and I have to relax. Playing linebacker lets me do what I do.”