Video: WeNext Garrett Wilson
Ohio State-bound receiver caught nearly 100 passes and 26 touchdowns last season.
He began playing quarterback as a second-grader in central Ohio. During a championship game, when his family was "going crazy with nerves," Wilson stayed calm, remained a leader and his team prevailed.
"It was ‘Oh my gosh,' I knew we had something special," his mom Candace Wilson said.
When the family moved to Texas and Wilson entered Lake Travis, his coach Hank Carter saw his explosiveness, hands and especially his ability to dunk the ball over the goalposts.
"It was like watching a grown man playing with boys," Carter said.
"It was obvious this guy is different," Lake Travis quarterback and Texas Longhorns pledge
Hudson Card said.
The 6-foot, 185-pound senior is not only gifted athletically — his father Kenny Wilson played in the NBA — but also driven.
Committed to Ohio State, he wants to be the Buckeyes' next Cris Carter, Joey Galloway or Michael Thomas. He's ranked the No. 14 player overall and No. 2 receiver in the country by
247Sports.
"I'm trying to be the next iconic receiver out of Ohio State," he said.
But for now, he's trying to lead Lake Travis another state title. Last season, he pulled down 96 catches for 1,764 yards and 26 touchdowns, but the Cavaliers fell short of their seventh state crown, losing 35-33 to Allen in the 6A-1 finals.
The year before, Wilson helped Lake Travis win a state championship.
Carter said Wilson, also a basketball standout, is the perfect leader to get Lake Travis over the hump.
"His teammates see him as unselfish and an unbelievable competitor," Carter said.
Lake Travis, ranked No. 9 nationally by MaxPreps, begins its season Friday at Martin (Arlington). Carter loves his school and playing high school football in Texas.
"Football in Austin is more than a game here," he said. "The game is a religion."
Garrett Wilson and his mother Candace reflect on his days as a quarterback in second grade.
Photo by: Jim Redman
Wilson made this picturesque grab in last year's Class 6A-1 state championship game against Allen.
Photo by: Robbie Rakestraw
