Millikin University assistant football coach Braylon Willis enters his second season with the Big Blue in 2026 after joining head coach Billy Riebock’s staff in February of 2025 as the running backs coach.
In his first season with the program, Willis helped guide a productive running back unit that rushed for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns, including two individual 100-yard rushing performances. His group featured five different running backs carrying the ball during the 2025 campaign, highlighting the depth and versatility of the position room.
Willis also coached standout freshman Re’John Zeno, who accounted for all of Millikin’s points in the Big Blue’s first two contests of the season before earning a Division I FCS scholarship opportunity at McNeese State University for the 2026 season. Willis was part of a coaching staff that helped engineer a program turnaround, improving from winless seasons in 2023 and 2024 to three victories in 2025.
Prior to arriving at Millikin, Willis began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State University in 2024, where he worked with the tight ends.
A native of Lafayette, La., Willis attended Lafayette High School. He played collegiate football at Eastern Illinois University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2024. He completed his master’s degree from Midwestern State in 2026.
