Popular Post flgreen Posted April 25, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 25, 2021 Jets will ‘love’ him: How Zach Wilson burst onto the NFL Draft scene By Brian Costello April 24, 2021 | 9:58am | Updated Zach Wilson had an idea. The BYU quarterback last season had been studying the film of the Cougars’ upcoming opponent, Houston, and he detected a weakness. He thought he could get the best of one of their cornerbacks, so he took the idea to passing game coordinator Aaron Roderick. “He told me, ‘I want to go after this one corner. I want to go after him the first play of the game,’ ” Roderick recalled recently. “He told me the play call he wanted and he said, ‘If I can get that guy to turn his back, I’m going to throw a touchdown pass on the first play.’ That’s a pretty bold statement.” Roderick likes being aggressive and told Wilson, “Let’s do it, but don’t force anything.” On BYU’s first play from scrimmage, Roderick called the play, which had wide receiver Dax Milne running a go-route against the corner Wilson wanted to target. Wilson faked a handoff, then unleashed a perfect throw to Milne for a 78-yard touchdown. When he got back to the sideline, he picked up the phone and told Roderick, “Hey coach, I told you.” ADVERTISEMENT BYU went on to win that Oct. 16, 2020 game 43-26, scoring 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Wilson’s first throw of the game, however, was the one that encapsulates the player the Jets are expected to draft No. 2 overall on Thursday. Wilson combines preparation with confidence and talent to deliver for his team. Teammates and coaches describe him as a film junkie whose preparation puts him ahead of others. Add that to incredible ability and a swagger that makes those around him believe and you have a package that has brought Wilson from a scrawny, under-recruited high school quarterback to the brink of being the (baby) face of an NFL franchise. “His instincts are something I’ve never seen from anyone,” said Fesi Sitake, BYU’s wide receivers coach. “His ability to process all of his meticulous, obsessive film study, and then on the field it doesn’t handcuff him. He plays free. He does things instinctively that you can only do when you have the talent combined with preparation.” Wilson wears a wristband that says, “Prove them wrong.” The slights of others have pushed him to become one of the best quarterbacks in college football — and, the Jets hope, a long-awaited franchise savior. “Something I feel that separates me is just my passion for the game,” Wilson said last month. “I really put a lot of time into what I do. Throughout all the years, I’ve really dedicated my life to football. It’s crazy. People ask me what I do outside of football, and football is really my life. It’s all I’ve got going on.” Wilson grew up in Draper, Utah, one of six children. His father Mike played defensive line at Utah in the 1990s and his mother Lisa’s family was devoted Utes fans. Her family had season tickets to Utah football games for 40 years. Zach told the Deseret News that he learned management skills from his parents, grandparents and his mother’s siblings — one of whom is David Neeleman, the founder of JetBlue Airways. This helped him overcome attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As part of that love of Utah football, Wilson attended the Utes’ football camps every summer starting in second grade. Kalani Sitake was a Utah assistant coach when he first saw Wilson throw. He thinks Wilson must have been 11 or 12. “You could see he was something special,” said Sitake, now BYU’s head coach. Brayden Cosper got to know Wilson, not just on the football field, but also on the basketball court. Wilson was a point guard, who was good enough to play on elite AAU teams in Utah and star at the sport through his junior year of high school before giving it up to focus on football. Zach Wilson (left) attended the Utes’ football camps every summer starting in second grade. Courtesy of the Wilson Family Cosper said it was not just Wilson’s ability that stood out, but his confidence, something that might be hard to detect in a 12-year-old. “It’s the way they carry themselves, you can kind of tell,” said Cosper, who is now a BYU wide receiver. “They’ve got that swagger, that confidence and then also the decisions he would make. He would make throws even when we were younger that were like, ‘Wow, that’s a tough throw.’ You kind of have to have some [guts].” Tre Ofahengaue runs football camps and 7-on-7 tournaments in Utah. In the summer before Wilson’s sophomore year of high school, Ofahengaue saw him at a BYU camp. His first thought was how scrawny the 6-foot, 160-pound Wilson looked. Then, Ofahengaue saw him throw a back-shoulder pass. “When I saw him throw, I was like, ‘This dude is legit.’ ” Wilson joined Ofahenague’s 7-on-7 team through his company Level Up Elites, and they began winning tournaments despite having a revolving cast of receivers. “When I saw him throw, I was like, ‘This dude is legit.’ ” Tre Ofahengaue Fesi Sitake was an assistant coach at Weber State when he spotted Wilson at Utah’s summer football camp. “You see this scrawny, little noodle that physically didn’t look the part at all, but when I saw him throw, I was like, ‘Holy cow, this kid can spin it.’ ” Sitake said. “By the end of the camp, I knew he was an offer kid.” Sitake gave Wilson his first scholarship offer and others did not follow quickly. Wilson was undersized, and Utah is not known for producing quarterbacks, so he was overlooked by many programs. Wilson committed to Boise State in June, before his senior season. The family stocked up on Boise State merchandise, and he was ready to go there — until his breakout senior season. Wilson threw for 2,986 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 752 yards and eight touchdowns in his senior season at Corner Canyon High School. Suddenly, schools like Iowa and nearby BYU were calling. The Wilsons were huge Utah fans, but Utes coach Kyle Whittingham had recruited a different quarterback. BYU had been eyeing another quarterback as well, but after firing offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, the coaching staff shifted its focus to Wilson. “It was a full-court press,” said Fesi Sitake, now a BYU assistant. It took convincing Lisa Wilson that BYU was the right place, but that happened during a four-hour meeting with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, who sold the Wilsons on Zach staying close to home and being able to spend more time with the close-knit family. –– ADVERTISEMENT –– Wilson decommitted to Boise State, and the Wilsons broke the news to the extended family at a Christmas gathering by distributing the words to the BYU fight song along with their traditional Christmas carols. Zach Wilson was not heavily recruited out of high school. Wilson family The snub by Utah and other schools had planted a seed in Wilson and had given him a chip on his shoulder. “There’s no question about it,” said Roderick, his quarterbacks coach. “He’s such a competitive person. I know that he relishes being an underdog. He relished every opportunity he got in college to play against someone that was more highly recruited than him. He always has an angle of motivation for himself. It never stops.” Wilson skipped his senior basketball season and graduated early from high school to get to BYU in the spring semester before his freshman football season. He quickly made an impression on the coaching staff during spring practice. “Just how he carried himself, how much command he had, how much swagger he had, how much confidence he had,” Fesi Sitake said. “It’s so rare to see a freshman with that type of demeanor. In fact, it’s so rare that I think a lot of the team thought, ‘Hold on, who does this kid think he is?’ I think it rubbed some guys the wrong way. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He just had a level of confidence that you don’t see in a freshman.” Wilson became the youngest starting quarterback in BYU history midway through his freshman season. He threw 12 touchdown passes and was intercepted just three times in the 2018 season, but he needed surgery to repair his throwing shoulder after the year. That surgery affected his 2019 season, when players and coaches at BYU have said he was not healthy. He also dealt with a thumb injury that year, which forced him to miss four games. That led to the coaching staff opening up a competition for the starting job in 2020. “There was no concern on his part,” Kalani Sitake said. “He was just like, ‘Let’s go.’ He’s all about competing. The guy’s an extreme competitor. Other quarterbacks would have said I’m transferring or something like that, this guy said, ‘Let’s go to work.’ ” COVID-19 ended the Cougars’ spring practices after five sessions. Wilson did not rest, though. He began taking trips to Southern California to work with personal quarterback coach John Beck. He flew sometimes, but also drove five or six times, a 10-hour, one-way trip. Wilson would listen to Steve Young’s audio book “QB: My Life Behind the Spiral” and the Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance” on the trips. He stayed with the family of a teammate in Southern California and delivered meals for DoorDash to earn extra money. When BYU reconvened for fall camp, it was clear that Wilson was the best quarterback for the team, and he won the job. He then had a season for the ages — completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards, with 33 touchdowns and three interceptions, and leading BYU to an 11-1 record. “He finally got his opportunity,” his friend and BYU wide receiver Gunner Romney said. “The year before he struggled with his shoulder. The year before that he was fighting for a starting position. I think just the year of preparation he got. None of us took time off during COVID. We were all still working, Zach especially saw that as an opportunity to get himself ahead. He saw this year as an opportunity to prove himself.” Wilson’s success did not just come from God-given ability. Those around him said he is obsessive with how he works. “This guy’s a football junkie,” Kalani Sitake said. “He studies film like crazy.” Cosper and Romney both lived with Wilson at BYU. They said they would get home after a full day of football and class ready to relax, but Wilson was studying film. “The dude was always watching film,” Cosper said. “He’s literally addicted to watching film.” SEE ALSO Zach Wilson is calling former Jets quarterbacks to ‘eliminate the unknown’ It was not just film of BYU or the Cougars’ opponents. Wilson studied NFL quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes then would try to imitate what he saw on film in practice. Romney remembers one day when Wilson tried a no-look pass like Mahomes, something that did not go over well with the coaches. Roderick, his quarterbacks coach, said he would get texts from Wilson at midnight: “Hey Coach, did you see this play? What if we do it out of this formation?” He said Wilson already would have watched their road games before their plane took off and would want to go over the game. Later in the flight, Roderick would walk down the aisle and find Wilson watching tape of the Packers. “I’m like, ‘Dude, go to sleep. Get some rest,’ and he just wants to talk about Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees or Mahomes,” Roderick said. This spring, Sitake said he has been getting calls from Wilson to discuss the BYU spring practices that he likes to watch and break down, even though he is about to be the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft. “I don’t know how many other people are doing that,” Kalani Sitake said. “That’s what he likes to do. He doesn’t do too many other things. He likes football and he’s going to be a great coach whenever his NFL career is done.” Wilson has gone from an unknown nationally to one of the most discussed prospects in this year’s NFL draft. The newfound celebrity has not affected him, his friends say. “I have not seen it touch him at all,” Cosper said. “He’s still the same dude.” Ofahengaue was hosting a 7-on-7 event in January. Wilson told him he was going to buy a ticket to watch. Ofahengaue laughed and told him he would rather have him address the boys from the 97 teams in the event. Wilson told him, “None of these dudes know who I am,” unaware of the celebrity he had become. When he showed up, the line was out the door to get a photo with him. “We all know he’s big-time, but if you know Zach, he’s never, ever said he’s better than anybody,” Ofahengaue said. What do you think? Be the first to comment. That is what makes those close to Wilson believe a kid from Draper, Utah, will do just fine under the bright lights of New York. “I think the Jets are going to love him, because if Zach wasn’t the quarterback for the New York Jets, he’s the type of fan the Jets have,” Fesi Sitake said. “That type of innate swagger and confidence and high expectations and competitive nature that New York has. That is Zach Wilson. That’s why I think everyone is going to take a huge liking to him.” 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Joe W. Namath Posted April 25, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 25, 2021 I am so excited to get this kid its unbelievable. The are extremely lucky to be getting a qb who is this talented. What a time to be a jet fan. Enjoy fellas! 4 4 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nixhead Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Does anyone really expect me to read all that? I think it’s on a YouTube Zack Wilson Video. Much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jimmy 2 Times Posted April 25, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 25, 2021 Good God I’m being sucked back in again. Please let this finally be the guy. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe W. Namath Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Just now, Jimmy 2 Times said: Good God I’m being sucked back in again. Please let this finally be the guy. Good for you. Now lets get you an avatar change. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wit Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 It’s a great article, just hope he can play against the big boys. it’s funny how fields did the best on some test out of 2500 athletes who took it Mac Jones had a photographic memory Zach Wilson Wilson works hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenReaper Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 The one thing I hope Wilson keeps when he enters the NFL is that chip on his shoulder...or that wristband...that says "prove them wrong". That attitude will help him through the rough times that this sport can put you through. One thing's for sure...he's gonna have to prove it to the naysayers here at JN. As for me...as soon as he puts on the Green & White...he's my QB. Just go on that football field and ball baby ball. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sonny Werblin Posted April 25, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 25, 2021 I like that he seems to have a bottomless appetite for putting in the work and embraces being a leader. People confuse a qb being a good teammate (like Darnold and Sanchez) with leadership. They are very different qualities. 8 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetstream23 Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 3 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said: I like that he seems to have a bottomless appetite for putting in the work and embraces being a leader. People confuse a qb being a good teammate (like Darnold and Sanchez) with leadership. They are very different qualities. One of the better posts on the board this month. It's a subtle difference, leadership and being a good teammate, but it matters significantly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Peace Frog Posted April 25, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted April 25, 2021 You have just triggered @Philc1 and @bitonti 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace Frog Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 26 minutes ago, GreenReaper said: The one thing I hope Wilson keeps when he enters the NFL is that chip on his shoulder...or that wristband...that says "prove them wrong". That attitude will help him through the rough times that this sport can put you through. One thing's for sure...he's gonna have to prove it to the naysayers here at JN. As for me...as soon as he puts on the Green & White...he's my QB. Just go on that football field and ball baby ball. The chip does not go away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 After doing the savior and chuck Norris thing so recently with Sam, gonna wait and see with Wilson 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenReaper Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Peace Frog said: The chip does not go away. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nixhead Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 It’s gonna take Zack a few years to gain confidence and take total control of the team but he can take some good steps towards that goal in his first season. We should’ not expect miracles but we do expect to see progress and potential and some results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryu79 Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Great read. Clearly, his handlers have honed in on messaging on work ethic and passion for the game. Smart strategy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebag Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Lol. This kid is going to get eaten alive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy2020 Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 People need to calm down. No amount of pre-draft hype is going to change anything about what Wilson will do in the NFL. It's just causing some people to get emotionally defensive about anything and everything Wilson. It will be just like it was with Darnold.. they will be the ones who do the hardest turn on him and post threads about how he didn't say goodbye to them when he got traded. Wilson will be good or he won't. Support him, but falling in love with any one player / coach / gm / etc just blinds. It is how you end up with Mac rebuilding his own rebuild and selecting a QB like Darnold (who needed to sit for a year and be brought along slowly to have any chance at being a successful NFL QB) end up like he did.. Some posters may need to be reminded that they full on believed in Darnold as the chosen one.. https://www.conquestchronicles.com/2018/4/23/17269468/2018-nfl-draft-scouting-reports-sam-darnold-qb-usc https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2018SDarnold.php https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/08/nfl-jets-sam-darnold-tony-romo-best-quarterback https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/03/22/sam-darnold-usc-pro-day-draft-cleveland-browns-mmqb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage69 Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 3 hours ago, Peace Frog said: The chip does not go away. They do at Crushers house with plenty of dip.. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FidelioJet Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 6 hours ago, peebag said: Lol. This kid is going to get eaten alive. 6 hours ago, ryu79 said: Great read. Clearly, his handlers have honed in on messaging on work ethic and passion for the game. Smart strategy. Based n the article, I’m not sure which of these posts is dumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitRed Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 You can watch the first throw mentioned in the article at about the 8 minute mark. Not hard to guess that Andre Ware loves ZW 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Nut Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 37 minutes ago, DetroitRed said: You can watch the first throw mentioned in the article at about the 8 minute mark. Not hard to guess that Andre Ware loves ZW Thats one hell of a pass he gets off as hes ready to get smashed by the DL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20andOut Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Watched the Herbstreit show QB21 last night. Zach looks like he is 15 yo. Looks like he should be picking out a suit for Jr Prom not the NFL draft. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Will?????? I already do!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 12 hours ago, flgreen said: Wilson combines preparation with confidence and talent to deliver for his team. Teammates and coaches describe him as a film junkie whose preparation puts him ahead of others. Add that to incredible ability and a swagger that makes those around him believe and you have a package that has brought Wilson from a scrawny, under-recruited high school quarterback to the brink of being the (baby) face of an NFL franchise. Did Mike Wilson write this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 8 hours ago, ryu79 said: Great read. Clearly, his handlers have honed in on messaging on work ethic and passion for the game. Smart strategy. He is a gym rat and is sneaky athletic, unlike Justin Fields and Trey Lance. Cough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 12 hours ago, flgreen said: I think the Jets are going to love him, because if Zach wasn’t the quarterback for the New York Jets, he’s the type of fan the Jets have,” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 29 minutes ago, 20andOut said: Watched the Herbstreit show QB21 last night. Zach looks like he is 15 yo. Looks like he should be picking out a suit for Jr Prom not the NFL draft. I saw that, the way he ended the interview too, so awkward. I really wish I could be a fly on the wall for his first walk into the Jets locker room and the look on every players face when they see this kid and realize that's the face of the franchise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted April 25, 2021 Author Share Posted April 25, 2021 9 minutes ago, T0mShane said: Did Mike Wilson write this? Nah, it was actually a very snarky reporter named Brian Costello. He has seen the light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Just now, flgreen said: Nah, it was actually a very snarky reporter named Brian Costello. He has seen the light. Carrying water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sourceworx Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 10 hours ago, Peace Frog said: You have just triggered @Philc1 and @bitonti HE WOULDN'T OF BURST ONTO THE SCENE IF HE PLAYED AGAINST BETTER TEAMS THAN SOUTHWEST SIOUX CITY STATE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 1 minute ago, sourceworx said: HE WOULDN'T OF BURST ONTO THE SCENE IF HE PLAYED AGAINST BETTER TEAMS THAN SOUTHWEST SIOUX CITY STATE! How many opt-outs did SSCS have though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sourceworx Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 7 hours ago, peebag said: Lol. This kid is going to get eaten alive. I feel bad for whoever it is that eats him alive. They'll be gaining a whole lot of bad weight. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sourceworx Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 2 minutes ago, T0mShane said: How many opt-outs did SSCS have though As many as the number of glasses of water that Zachapono drank before weighing in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 5 minutes ago, sourceworx said: As many as the number of glasses of water that Zachapono drank before weighing in. BUCKETS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Willie White Shoes Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 How was Josh Allen’s college competition? And his stats stunk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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