Liberty Professional Athletes

For the first time in his NFL career, Malik Willis walked into a stadium on opening weekend as the guy. The Liberty alum — who spent his early career backing up starters in Tennessee and Green Bay — took the reins of the Miami Dolphins' post-Tua era in Week 1. The moment was real. The result, less so.

Willis and the Dolphins dropped a 27-13 decision to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, September 13, falling behind after an opening drive touchdown and never recovering. Miami trailed the entire afternoon.

The Debut by the Numbers

Willis finished 15-for-27 through the air for 220 passing yards, with one interception and no passing touchdowns. He added some life with his legs — 39 rushing yards and a rushing score — but it wasn't enough to make up for a Miami offense that couldn't sustain drives against a Raiders defense that came in with a point to prove. Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas's $30 million starter, led the Raiders efficiently in the other direction.

The stat line is modest, but context matters: decision-making drew the most scrutiny in the post-game autopsy. Dolphins fans and analysts flagged Willis's processing speed and turnover — his lone interception came at a costly moment — as the biggest issues from the defeat.

The Response

To his credit, Willis didn't hide. After the game, he made a heartfelt public post acknowledging the loss and the road ahead, a gesture that landed well with a fanbase that's investing genuine hope in the Liberty product. That's the kind of quarterback-culture moment Miami has been trying to manufacture for years.

Eyes on Week 2

The Dolphins don't get a soft reset — Week 2 brings the San Francisco 49ers. Willis appeared on Miami's injury report with a toe issue during the week, though he practiced in full and is expected to play. The more pressing question may be who backs him up if something goes wrong; Miami's backup QB situation remains thin and largely unresolved.

Analysts and Dolphins insiders put Willis "on notice" heading into the 49ers matchup, with a clear expectation that he tighten up his reads and play mistake-free football. The offensive line's development is also a key subplot — if the unit improves its cohesion, Willis's job gets considerably easier.

The Bigger Picture

Willis is the only Liberty alum featured prominently in NFL storylines this week, though the Flames have a handful of other players active across the league: CB Kei'Trel Clark (Cardinals), WR CJ Daniels (Rams), WR DeMario Douglas (Patriots), LB Storey Jackson (Falcons), and DE Durrell Johnson (Cowboys) are all on rosters — none generated notable headlines during the period.

The spotlight, at least for now, belongs entirely to Willis. Week 1 was a stumble, not a fall. How he responds in San Francisco will say considerably more about whether Liberty's most prominent NFL alum is ready to be the franchise answer Miami is betting he can be.

Liberty in the NFL | Week of Aug. 30–Sept. 5, 2026

For Liberty alumni watching the NFL's cutdown frenzy, the most turbulent story came out of Miami — where quarterback Mark Gronowski rode a roller coaster from released to re-signed in the span of days, and fellow Flame Malik Willis emerged as the unquestioned centerpiece of a Dolphins rebuild.

Gronowski Survives the Cut

The Miami Dolphins' quarterback room looked nothing like itself by the time roster cutdowns settled. Miami traded Quinn Ewers, released Cam Miller, and cut Gronowski — all in a single chaotic stretch — before turning around and acquiring Kyle McCord from the Green Bay Packers to serve as Willis's backup. But Gronowski's story didn't end there. The Dolphins brought the Liberty product back, re-signing him to the practice squad and keeping him in the organization as a developmental arm behind the new-look depth chart.

It's a precarious perch, but a significant one. Practice squad status means Gronowski stays in an NFL system, continues developing, and remains one injury away from a potential active-roster call-up. For a quarterback out of Lynchburg, that's not nothing — it's a foothold.

Willis: Miami's Committed Starter

While Gronowski scrambled to stay afloat, the other Liberty name in Miami's quarterback room spent the week in an entirely different position. Malik Willis — signed this offseason to a three-year, $67.5 million deal with $45 million guaranteed — heads into the 2026 season as the Dolphins' unquestioned QB1. Miami's willingness to gut its surrounding QB depth and lean fully on Willis signals organizational belief, even if the fanbase remains skeptical.

The Dolphins face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, and Willis enters the season with real stakes: a franchise in cap-reset mode, a young receiver room, and a city that hasn't fully bought in. His performance this year will go a long way toward determining whether he's the answer in South Beach or a bridge to someone else entirely.

The Liberty Connection in Miami

It's unusual for a single NFL roster to carry two quarterbacks from the same mid-major program, even if one is on the practice squad. Gronowski and Willis represent Liberty's growing footprint at the position — a program that has consistently developed signal-callers capable of earning NFL opportunities. That both landed in the same building, navigating the same depth chart chaos during the same cutdown week, is a striking footnote to the Flames' recent history at the position.

For Gronowski, the grind continues. For Willis, the real work is just beginning.

Liberty in the NFL | Week of Aug. 23–29, 2026

There's no shortage of quarterbacks in the NFL who arrived with question marks. What separates Malik Willis from that crowd, at least right now, is the size of the stage he's stepped onto — and his apparent indifference to the pressure that comes with it.

The former Liberty Flames signal-caller has been named the Miami Dolphins' quarterback of the future, a designation that carries real weight on a franchise that has cycled through passers in search of a long-term answer. Willis has barely logged meaningful regular-season snaps at the NFL level, but by all accounts he's treating the moment not as something to survive, but something to seize.

According to Fox Sports, Willis has been working to assure the Dolphins organization that he's ready to be QB1 for years to come — arriving with a blend of physical tools and competitive confidence that has the franchise leaning in. The narrative around him isn't about what he hasn't done yet; it's about what the Dolphins believe he's capable of doing next.

That belief was underscored in the most practical terms this week: Miami announced it will sit Willis — along with star running back De'Von Achane and other key starters — in the team's preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. That's a vote of confidence dressed up as roster management. Teams don't protect players they're unsure about. They protect investments.

The decision to hold Willis out of the finale also signals that Miami's coaching staff likes what it's already seen. Preseason is the proving ground for players fighting for roster spots — not for franchise cornerstones who've already won the room.

For Liberty fans, this moment carries a particular charge. Willis was one of the most electrifying quarterbacks in program history, a dual-threat weapon who put the Flames on the national radar and made the case that small-school talent could play at the highest level. He's now the unquestioned starter for an AFC franchise. That's not a footnote — that's a legacy moment for Lynchburg.

He's not the only Liberty alum active in the league. Cornerback Kei'Trel Clark is on Arizona's roster, Demario Douglas continues to develop as a receiver for New England, Storey Jackson is competing at linebacker for Atlanta, and Durrell Johnson is in the mix for Dallas at defensive end. But this week belonged to Willis, and the spotlight isn't going anywhere.

The 2026 regular season will be the real test. But the Dolphins have made their choice, and Malik Willis — unproven, unfazed, and Liberty-built — is walking into it like he belongs there.