Central's New Defensive Coordinator Excited About Return to San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX -- There’s a new sheriff running the Central Bobcats defense and he sat down with San Angelo LIVE’s Manny Diaz.

Joshua Willis was hired as Central’s new defensive coordinator and has hit the ground running since returning to the Concho Valley on Monday. Willis says West Texas has treated him well in the early days of his second stint with the Bobcats.

“West Texas is a special place full of special people,” Willis said. “I don’t know if there’s a friendlier place on earth than West Texas. We’re fired up to get back out here. I’m ready to get out here full time and get my wife and my son out here and get settled back in and call this place home.”

Willis, a native of southwest Arkansas, spent one season as a defensive assistant back in 2017.

“The coaching network I’ve come up in has always been tied to San Angelo and coach (Brent) Davis,” Willis said. “When I had the opportunity to come out here in 2017, it was something I jumped on. I learned a lot that year. It seemed like a short time, but I learned so much.”

He then got the opportunity to coach with his dad as the defensive coordinator at Class 3A New Boston this past season. Willis called that opportunity a dream come true.

Now, Willis is excited about taking over a defense he sees a lot of potential in.

“When I got the opportunity to come back out here, I definitely wasn’t gonna pass it up,” Willis said. “I had no doubt about it that it was the right move.”

The plan is simple for Willis. He wants to keep the foundation built by former coordinator Mark Chester and only make minor tweaks to the defense that he feels will help them win.

“Coach Chester has done a great job establishing a defense,” Willis said. “They’ve done that for years, dating back to when Davis first got out here with Kodi Crane. So, the foundation is there, the standard is set, the expectations are extremely high. First off, that makes things easier. When the expectations are already there, all you gotta do is steer the ship a little bit. It definitely makes it easier.”

Part of Willis’ excitement stems from players like Brady Allen and Xy’Kerion Paulk working in the trenches.

“That’s a coach’s dream,” Willis said.

Chester was announced as the new athletic director and head football coach at Blue Ridge High School on June 7.