Willie’s got some serious hops.

Derrick Willies, a 190cm, 102kg junior college transfer, has generated some good buzz since arriving at Tech as a mid-year enrollee, and that buzz has only grown since he tweeted out a video of himself vaulting onto a 1.52 metre box from a seated position — while wearing a 4.5kg weight vest Sunday.

Last season Willies caught 49 passes for 1,115 yards and 14 touchdowns for Trinity Valley CC in Texas. He led the nation in yards per reception (23.6). The 21-year-old Illinois native, who began his college career at Iowa, won state track and field titles in the 110-metre hurdles, 300-metre hurdles and 300-metre dash.

He left Iowa at the end of 2014 to be closer to his father, who was having health problems at the time, and committed to Texas Tech in mid 2015.

The receiver is currently sitting out spring practice with a hand injury, along with back-up quarterback Nic Shimonek.

Texas Tech coach Charlie Strong is confident of notching up plenty of wins when the season starts if his recent comments are anything to go by.

“You think about what we’re doing right now, what’s going to happen when we really get it turned? They might as well move out of the way, because we are going to steamroll everyone. That’s going to happen,” Strong told university faculty, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

“We have so much support, and there’s so many people who have so much passion for Texas football. There’s no reason for us to go let them down.”