I am going to play for the red and white this year...
It is rare for an ACC quarterback to make national headlines, but with the public bored with baseball, golf, tennis and everything else, fans love football news. People need college football and while Russell Wilson is not a household name, any football news will do right about now. Russell Wilson will be attending Wisconsin University and will undoubtedly quarterback for the Badgers this season.
Except for
ACC fans or
die hard sports fans, Wilson may not be a superstar name
YET, but this is a really interesting story. Add in sport fans, who are desperate for some football and this is a story that even ESPN(
http://search.go.espn.go.com/russell-wilson/) is giving some real face time to.
Wilson could have a huge impact not just in the Big 10, but on the national scene as well. Many experts are picking the Badgers to win the Big 10, which would allow Wilson to display his skills on a Rose Bowl stage. There are even some who believe that Wisconsin has a chance to play for the National Championship. Russell has only one year of eligibility left, but if the experts are right about Wisconsin this year, it could be a marriage made in heaven for the Badgers and Wilson.
This feels like a good match for both parties. It seems a little like when Cam Newton went to Auburn. Auburn had talent, especially on defense, but they needed a playmaker. Wisconsin has a very talented team, with a great offensive line and running backs, but they need a playmaker too, at the quarterback position. Wilson maybe the man for the job. If Wilson puts up the statistics he did at NC State for a National Champion contender, it might spell Heisman. Wilson is an athletic quarterback who can throw the ball and the Badgers are a running team, so like Newton he should be able to pick up on the playbook pretty quickly. Wilson also seems to be mature and intelligent, so the transition from Wolf to Badger could be seamless. Wilson and the Badgers can set their sites high because if this relationship works, nothing is out of their reach this season.
Wisconsin could really benefit from the addition of Wilson, but how will State deal with the loss of Russell? NC State will most likely lose 2 or 3 more games because of Wilson's absence. So, if State will suffer because of Wilson's departure, then why did NC State's Coach Tom O'Brien not allow Wilson to return to the team this year. It seems to be for two main reasons. First, O'Brien seemed to be tired of Wilson flirting with baseball(Wilson's baseball rights are owned by the Colorado Rockies) and not giving himself fully to NC State football. The second reason is Mike Glennon. Other than State fans, few people may remember this name, but Mike is the brother of former Virginia Tech quarterback, Sean Glennon. Mike was also a five star recruit coming out of high school. Glennon is a 6-6, 225 pound pocket passer with a rumored cannon for an arm. Glennon might be a stable future presence for the Pack at the quarterback position, but Wilson was a guarantee. Wilson threw for over 3,500 yards and 28 TDs and rushed for another 9 TDs. State will suffer from this loss at least in the beginning season, but O'Brien must be banking on having a full time quarterback for the next two years being better than having a part time star for one more.
No matter what happens to these two teams and quarterbacks, this story is bound to really heat up, as this season goes along. Both red and white teams will be compared to each other all year and the quarterbacks as well. If Wilson can pull off a Cam Newton and make a championship and Heisman run, it will be real interesting to see how the State fans react. Most likely O'Brien could take real hot criticism from all sides if Russell has a big season and State has a 6-6 or 7-5 season(State was 9-4 last season). Well, let the comparisons begin. The Pack and Badgers will be linked all year. Let's see who made the right choice, good chance only one team wins in the end.
