The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1249704
MAY/JUNE 2020 ■ 29 BY MATT CARTER he story of Russell Wilson's athletic career provides enough material for some lucky docu- mentarian to make a must-see 30 For 30 on ESPN. The iconic "What if I told you …" teaser synonymous with the series could very well begin with the story of Wilson as a rising senior at a private high school in Richmond, Va., called Collegiate School. Long before he became a Super Bowl- winning quarterback and NFL icon, Wilson was an underrated, yet confident, signal- caller determined to play both football and baseball in college. That dream became a reality at NC State in a story that was not without irony and twists. It was a destiny that unfolded like, as Wilson said in a recent interview with The Wolfpacker reflecting back on the time, "a perfect storm, to be honest with you." Since that journey, Wilson has become an NFL superstar, signing the richest contract for annual salary in league history in April 2019. He has tied Tom Brady for the most wins by a quarterback through his first eight seasons (86) and is one of just two qualified signal-callers in the NFL to ever have a ca- reer passing rating of better than 100. The Wolfpacker has not only talked with Wilson, but also the following key charac- ters who played significant roles in recruit- ing him to NC State: • Former NC State head football coach Chuck Amato, who in the summer of 2006 made the decision to offer Wilson a two- sport opportunity. • Marc Trestman, the former NFL, CFL and XFL head coach who was Amato's of- fensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time. • Steve Dunlap, a longtime college foot- ball defensive coordinator who was serving in that capacity at NC State, and was recruit- ing the Richmond area for the Wolfpack. • NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent, who played a vital role in making sure Wil- son did not fall through the cracks with the football staff through his friendships with Trestman and Amato. • Chad Jamison, who at the time was the director of high school relations at NC State and oversaw the recruiting office under Am- ato as well as his successor, Tom O'Brien. Jamison now works for National Preps. • Mike Archer, who would join O'Brien's staff as a defensive coordinator in January 2007 and was a close friend of Trestman. Archer and Wilson's mutual love of baseball led the two to strike up a friendship. • Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell, who in blunt honesty admits they blew the evaluation of Wilson. They collectively tell the story of how Wilson became a Wolfpacker. The Two-Star, Two-Sport Star Wilson completed 205 of 361 passes for 3,287 yards with 40 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a high school junior. He also ran for 634 yards and 15 scores on 132 carries while leading Collegiate to a third straight state title. Despite that, Rivals.com listed Wilson as a two-star recruit, its lowest ranking. Farrell: "He was short. … If you remem- ber the only sub-6-foot quarterback that had any sort of both collegiate and professional success prior to these guys was Doug Flutie, and that was 1984. He won the Heisman in '84, so we are talking 20 years. "Wilson played at Collegiate in Rich- mond, which back then had just bad foot- ball. Football in Virginia was in the Tidewa- ter back then." Wilson: "I knew I could play ball. I think part [of the ranking], too, was obviously about me being shorter. I think, second of all, was also me playing in a private-school league. "They didn't know that I could play big- time, five-star kind of football, even though we played some great public schools and some other great military schools and mili- tary academies. I think that kind of was the hesitation. "And ultimately baseball was a big part of my life. … People thought I was going to play pro baseball right out of high school. That was part of it too." Avent: "I think he would have been a second baseman in the big leagues." Dunlap: "In recruiting, a lot of the so- called name schools, the so-called big schools, see a 5-foot-11 quarterback coming from a private school, and they just keep on driving. They don't bother. "I saw his film [as an opponent while looking at a prospect from another school]. … The main reason I still went there [to Collegiate] was when I was at Navy and " You were looking at a bigger, more complete version of Doug Flutie, in my opinion. [Wilson] was 5-11 and had huge hands. He was extremely smart, and he was extremely athletic. NC State assistant Steve Dunlap, comparing Wilson to the 1984 Heisman Trophy winner T In high school, Wilson was the first-ever two- time winner of The Richmond Times-Dispatch's Area Player of the Year award in football. PHOTO COURTESY COLLEGIATE SCHOOL PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN