Miami (FL) Columbus wide receiver Jesus Wilson is electric with the ball in his hands. Those in attendance at Burger Stadium in Austin on Saturday evening got a glimpse of that early in the opening round of the IFAF U-19 World Championship.
Florida State Commit Jesus Wilson: Childhood Favorite Miami ‘Waited Too Long’
The playmaking wide receiver may have grown up a Miami Hurricanes fan, but the ‘Canes still haven’t made an offer and couldn’t sway the Florida State commit even if they did.
On the opening kickoff (viewable at the 34:00 mark of the linked video), the Florida State commit fielded a bouncing kick at the US 23 yardline, headed towards the middle of the field to allow his blockers to do their work, then exploded through an opening, breaking an arm tackle and outrunning the kicker to the endzone to give Team USA a 6-0 lead only 13 seconds into the game.
Only minutes later, Wilson took a jet sweep, exploded to the outside, then cut back against the grain for a spectacular 12-yard gain, again showing off the vision of a running back.
When you’re that good with ball in your hands, why give it up? It’s hard to blame Wilson for not wanting to make the move to cornerback given his ability on offense and special teams.
Recruited to Florida State as a wide receiver, several schools opted to look at Wilson as a cornerback -- Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, and his childhood favorite, Miami, which is evaluating him at both positions. It was a death knell for his recruitment by the former two schools.
As for the lifelong favorite, those hometown ‘Canes?
They may be close to making an offer to Wilson, but it wouldn’t change anything. “I think they waited too long,” said Wilson in an interview with SB Nation last Wednesday.
In the end, it came down to a final three of Oklahoma State, Florida State, and West Virginia. For the two other finalists, early offers and the high-powered spread offenses run in Stillwater and Morgantown were a major appeal. In fact, the pro-style attack used by head coach Jimbo Fisher kept Wilson on the market longer than he would have been otherwise.
“Yes, the offense made me hesitant a lot -- that’s what made me wait so late,” Wilson revealed. “I had been thinking about committing to Florida State when I went to the camp last year, but Oklahoma State and West Virginia had offered me already.”
In the end, however, the proximity of Florida State and his relationship with the coaching staff played a larger role than the offense.
“I wanted to stay close to home,” he said. “I wanted to have my family be able to come see me play football. I had a great relationship with coach Cody and coach Jimbo Fisher and I felt like I was at home, like it was the right place to go.”
The lack of pressure put on him by the staff and a family member who will be making the move to Tallahassee with the dynamic wide receiver also played roles.
“The coaches told me to make the best decision for me. I’m really close to the coaches; I just felt the connection there. Also, my sister is supposed to be going to Florida State when I go. My aunt lives there, so I have family there.”
For more on FSU football, visit Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation and SB Nation Tampa Bay.
