This is a post in the series introducing CU fans to CU’s freshman enrollees. To see the previous Hello post, see https://buffsblog.com/hello-christian-hudson/
Position:
Wide receiver
Size:
6’ 170 pounds on most recruiting sites. Miraculously, Wilson actually expanded an inch in the altitude as he is listed at 6’2” 170 pounds on the CU roster.
Offers:
Wilson committed to CU over offers from Oregon, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Utah, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, TCU, Kansas, Louisville, Kansas State, Purdue, SMU, South Carolina, Houston, Arizona State, and Baylor, as well as a large number of G5/6 schools.
Ranking:
Ranked four stars, the #300 player nationally, and the #44 player from Texas on the composite rankings. Some additional ranking bits:
- Consensus four-star prospect on all recruiting services
- Rivals lists him as the #174 player overall and the #22 overall player in Texas
- ESPN lists him as the #42 WR and the #45 player in Texas
High School:
Wilson attended Weiss High School in Pflugerville, Texas, a Class 5A power (Texas high school football goes up to 6A). The band for 5A-1 schools is 1,903 students – 2,274 students. This past season, Weiss went 9-3 and beat poor Lehman High 79-0. Dear lord.
As a receiver this past season, he had 47 receptions for 985 yards and 14 TDs. As a junior, he finished the year with 63 catches for 1,003 yards and 14 TDs. His sophomore year, he had 29 catches for 543 yards and 8 TDs.
For all 3 of his high school seasons, Wilson was named all-district.
In addition to his exploits on the football field, Wilson excelled in track and field for his high school team. Wilson lodged a 6’6” high jump, an 11.4 100 meter time, and a 23.28 200 meter time. While the track times are very solid but not out-of-this-world, his high jump would’ve placed 2nd in the State of Colorado this past year. He is a bouncy athlete and this will really help his quarterback when throwing jump balls and on 50-50 balls.
Wilson’s cousin is Tyree Wilson of the Las Vegas Raiders. Boo Raiders. Based on the CU roster page, he is a distant cousin of Whitney Houston. I believe Adrian Wilson is our future.
The scoooooooooooop:
Wilson was born and raised in the football stronghold of Anchorage, Alaska. His family moved to Texas in part so that Wilson could get more exposure as a high school athlete. It was probably a good move – it’s difficult to get exposure as a high school player in Alaska. For example, in the 2025 class, the #1 ranked player out of Alaska is Nolan Farr, and he has committed to play football in Gunnison, Colorado at Western Colorado. That’s a farr way to go for the kid from Alaska. <remember to tip your wait staff on the way out>.
The only other football player that was born and raised in Alaska that achieved great notoriety is Denver’s (and General Hospital’s) own Mark Schlereth. Other great Alaska athletes include hoopers “The Alaska Assassin” Trajan Langdon and Mario Chalmers.
The move to Texas worked for Wilson, as he got a lot of exposure. He was recruited by almost every football blue blood in the country. Wilson got so much exposure, in fact, that he ended up committing to 4 – yes 4 – schools over the course of his recruitment. He committed to Oregon, TCU, Arizona State and Colorado. Thankfully for the Buffs, he only signed with one school.
When asked why he landed on Colorado, Wilson told 247Sports’ Jordan Scruggs that the Colorado staff will best prepare his for the NFL. This has been a key message that the CU staff has been successful in spreading —- come to Colorado and get coached by pros who know how to get you to the NFL. Wilson added that he will work hard to continue to better himself both on and off the field.
Roll the tape!
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17973821/66e716e195507ae1a99beb48
Wilson is an outside receiver — in contrast to fellow freshman enrollee and slot receiver jitterbug Quentin Gibson, for example. Wilson has a big catch radius due to his leaping ability and strength in tracking the football. Charles Power at On3 notes that Wilson is an impressive jump ball receiver. He said:
“Wilson flashes high-end ball skills on Friday nights and plays bigger than his size. Comes down with impressive grabs in jump ball and contested catch situations. Easily tracks the ball over his shoulder. Dangerous in the red zone. Effective at working down the sideline or over the middle of the field. Can continue improving his route-running and top-end speed.”
Power’s suggestion that Wilson’s speed could be an issue is probably due to an older scouting report. Wilson’s per-catch rate his senior year was 23.1 yards, up from 19.5 and 18.2 yards his prior two seasons. It’s clear his speed has improved over the course of his high school career. Correspondingly, his speed doesn’t seem an issue in his highlight tape, particularly the play 15 seconds in where he takes a pass 99 yards to the end zone.
It is fair, however, to note that short-area suddenness is a room for improvement. Here’s what 247Sports National Analyst Gabe Brooks had to say about the newest Colorado commit.
“His high jump experience should help his ability to win shot-play opportunities in the red zone, or any contested-catch situation, for that matter. Wilson is a more linear-oriented athlete, whether playing downfield or competing in the air, so enhancing his short-area suddenness will raise the ceiling on his ability to provide chain-moving effectiveness in short-to-intermediate situations.”
How will he fit into the CU multiverse?
Wilson has a flair for the dramatic given his 4 college commitments, so I think he’ll fit right in with the Colorado Football Traveling Show. We’ll love him nonetheless.
Overall excitement level:
3.5 stars (out of 5). Wilson will in all likelihood play behind Kam Mikell and Omarrion Miller this season on the outside, but CU can’t have enough big play outside receivers and Wilson fits the mold to a T. I suspect he’s playing meaningful minutes by his sophomore year and that he becomes a big-time problem as an upperclassman. Also, given Wilson’s childhood in Alaska, we’ve got to assume that he’ll help teach the Florida / Georgia players how to play in cold weather.