Priest Willis football recruiting: Top DB prospect signs with UCLA

After some signing day drama turned into signing day non-drama, elite safety prospect Priest Willis has finally signed with the UCLA Bruins’ top-10 recruiting class.

Willis scared some UCLA supporters with the news that he wouldn’t be signing to the Bruins on Signing Day. A modest amount of panic ensued: was he headed to LSU? Was he a signing day surprise? Would Lane Kiffin steal him?

Priest Willis won’t be signing with UCLA today, but Bruins fans shouldn’t worry. The elite safety prospect is still committed to UCLA.

When news first broke that the defensive back wasn’t going to sign on National Signing Day, there was speculation that LSU had re-entered the race for the Tempe, Arizona native. But it turns out that wasn’t the case as his mom is out of town on a work assignment, and he wants to wait until she returns to make everything official. SB Nation’s recruiting expert Bud Elliott caught up with Willis’ father, who shot down any potential rumors of drama.

UCLA commit Priest Willis could still be an option for LSU, as the safety reportedly told members of Les Miles’ coaching staff that he wouldn’t be signing with any school on Wednesday.

The vast majority of college football players will send signed letters of intent on National Signing Day Wednesday, but Willis won’t do that until Friday, according to James Smith of NOLA.com. He’s reportedly still choosing, despite his pledge to UCLA.

Willis is pegged as a cornerback by Scout, but a safety by Rivals and ESPN. Scout rates him as a five-star recruit, No. 4 at his position, and No. 41 overall in the 2013 freshman class. Rivals and ESPN both have him at four stars and No. 59 among all prospects. Rivals denotes him as the 10th-best safety available, while ESPN has him as the fifth-best.

Maybe that’s really why Chip Kelly left for the NFL.