Willie Yarbary is a native of Augusta, Georgia where he starred for the Academy of Richmond County. As a senior, he led his team with 106 tackles to go along with 9.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and an interception. His efforts earned him Region 3-4A Defensive Player of the Year honors on top of being named to the All-Central Savannah River First Team. He left high school as the 53rd-ranked defensive tackle prospect in the nation before landing at Wake Forest.
After redshirting his first year on campus, Yarbary earned playing time in 11 of his team’s 12 games in 2015, finishing with 11 tackles and a half TFL.