Garrett Wilson is a 5-star wide receiver from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, which says a lot, but doesn’t say everything.
Wilson signed with Ohio State on Wednesday and when he did he gave new Buckeye head coach Ryan Day one of the top playmakers in the entire nation.
Wilson is a dynamic pass catcher who does everything you want a wide receiver to do.
The first time Day ever saw Wilson, he was watching then-quarterback recruit Matthew Baldwin, who would go on to sign with OSU in the 2018 class.
“I was watching Matthew Baldwin, so I went down to watch Matthew throw, and I see this wide receiver drill going on,” Day explained on Wednesday. “And I see a wide receiver drill a guy and then drive — I told his dad this story — drive a guy into one of the trees and just start yelling and barking at him, and I said, ‘Who is this kid?’ And they said, ‘That’s Garrett Wilson.’ I said, ‘That’s Garrett Wilson, the one who grew up in Dublin?’ They said, ‘Yeah.’ And then from then on, I just followed him really, really closely, studied his film.”
Wilson’s central Ohio upbringing certainly helped the Buckeyes, as did signing his high school quarterback.
Ultimately, however, it was about fit, for both Wilson and Ohio State.
“[Lake Travis head coach] Hank Carter down there is one of the more talented coaches in all of America,” Day said. “He had nothing but great things to say about him, and then his film spoke for itself. As talented a young man as I’ve been around in terms of ball skills, speed, changing direction. He could be a Division I basketball player if he wanted to be. But even a better young man. The way he handles himself is with class, and that’s because they have such a great family.”
While Day didn’t get into his expectations for Wilson in 2019, his old quarterback can’t wait to see what’s in store next season.
Following the Big Ten Championship Game a few weeks back, Matthew Baldwin was sitting at his locker talking to reporters about what his future holds. While he could be embroiled in the biggest quarterback competition in the nation, he still found himself talking up his old teammate.
“My guy back from my high school Lake Travis, Garrett Wilson, he’s an okay receiver,” Baldwin said with a big smile. “I’m just playing, he’s incredible and I can’t wait to throw to him.”
Asked if Wilson was as good as he looks on film, Baldwin had no hesitation in his answer.
“He is,” he said. “He’s better.”
Ohio State will be replacing three senior receivers, and possibly a fourth if KJ Hill decides to leave early for the NFL. Two of those four players — Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon — play the same position that Wilson is expected to play. As such, there will be spots up for grabs.
Wilson is expected to contribute right away, but Baldwin didn’t want to discount what the Buckeyes already had on the roster.
“I can’t guarantee that, but just the way he competes in high school, he dominates everyone in high school,” he said.
“I know we’ve got players here that did that in their high school too, but I can’t imagine he’ll fall that far off.”
