North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Wilson Still Grinding in School
8/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 25, 2010
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. -
As is required by the NCAA for any student-athlete, Wilson must be working towards a degree to compete as a post-graduate. So he will take several 500- and 600-level graduate classes this fall, while also guiding the Wolfpack offense on the football field.
"I definitely want to get an advanced degree," Wilson said at the first of his weekly meetings with area media outlets. "That's why I am taking the grad school classes. I probably could have taken the easy way out, but I want to learn more.
"If football's going to give me a full scholarship, I might as well learn as much as I can and do it the right way."
Wilson's ultimate goals are to play in the National Football League and to play Major League Baseball. He got started on the latter dream this summer after he was drafted in the third round of the baseball draft by the Colorado Rockies. But when his playing days are over - far into the future, the way Wilson has it planned - he wants to get into the field of television broadcasting.
He would love, one day, to host ESPN's SportsCenter, something he talked to former baseball/football combo player Brian Jordan about when he was still a freshman, playing in the NCAA Athens (Ga.) Super Regional with the Wolfpack baseball team.
For now, though, he's focused on getting started in his graduate classes and for next weekend's season opener against Western Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Even though he was a little rusty after spending all spring with the NC State baseball team and all summer with the Tri-City Dust Devils, a short-season Class A team of the Rockies, Wilson says he is ready to start preparing for the Catamounts.
"We've been working on the playbook for most of training camp," Wilson said. "Next week, we'll start preparing for Western Carolina, probably on Sunday."
Wilson is entering his third season as the Wolfpack's starting quarterback. He has one of the most accomplished receiving corps of any team in the nation, led by seniors Owen Spencer, Jarvis Williams and Darrell Davis. He also has George Bryan, the reigning first-team All-ACC tight end, as one of his favorite targets, and a new set of running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield or carry the ball through the line.
No wonder he has high expectations for the Wolfpack's high-powered offense.
"The sky is the limit," Wilson said. "We have a lot of talent. But it is not just talent - the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs work their butts off every day during the off season. I am just trying to keep up to their level.
"We want to do a great job offensively. We want to score points. We want to have the mindset that every snap can be a big-time play, every play can be the game-winning touchdown, every play can go to the house."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
