The Denver Broncos said “Hold my beer” to Texas A&M, topping the Aggies’ $76 million-dollar buyout of Jimbo Fisher by taking an $85 million-dollar-bath to cut their quarterback, Russell Wilson. $39 million of that is guaranteed to Wilson after signing a 5-year, $245-million extension two years ago. After a massive severance package, he’s looking for NFL employment elsewhere.
Being on the move isn’t a new experience for Wilson. He was switching schools before it was all the craze as a two-sport athlete in college for the NC State Wolfpack and the Wisconsin Badgers. While he searches for his third NFL home, let’s reminisce on Russell Wilson’s journey from undersized and unknown, to celebrity status with a look back at his college stats.
From Two-Sport Stud to Football Phenom
Wilson excelled at football and baseball in high school, taking both talents to the next level when he committed to NC State over the Duke Blue Devils. He was also taken in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles but opted for college.
Listed at 5’11”, he was a smaller quarterback, but was invited to the Manning Passing Academy the summer heading into his senior year. He left a strong impression on the camp director, Peyton Manning, eventually leading to the two teaming up with the Denver Broncos years later.
Wilson took a redshirt in football and baseball as a true freshman in 2007 before hitting the field in both sports.
In football, he took over the starting job under center full-time after the fifth game. He appeared in 11 games with a 4-3 record in seven starts, including a four-game winning streak to end the season.
He passed for 1,955 yards, 17 touchdowns to one interception while rushing for 388 yards and four scores. He also played 32 games at second base that season, batting .296 with eight RBI, six stolen bases, and two homers.
Expectations grew for Wilson after that. He wasn’t just the frontrunner as the starting QB for NC State; he was the preseason All-ACC Team quarterback heading into the 2009 season.
He lived up to that preseason accolade when he was named to the All-ACC First Team, finishing the season with 3,027 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 picks while rushing for another 260 yards and four scores. He set the collegiate record for consecutive completions without an interception with 32.
The Wolfpack struggled to win games with a 5-7 record that season. In baseball, he played in 27 games with a .236 batting average, 10 RBIs, and two stolen bases.
Wilson elevated his play at quarterback the 2010 season, passing for a career-high 3,563 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while having a career-best season on the ground with 439 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
The Wolfpack finished 9-3 that year.
His numbers also took a significant jump in what would be his final season of college baseball. He played in 47 games, batting .306 in 96 plate appearances with 12 RBI, nine stolen bases, and three homers.
With a degree in hand from NC State, Wilson was once again taken with the 140th pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, this time by the Colorado Rockies.
Wilson Takes His Talents to Madison
He decided to give professional baseball a shot, playing 32 games that summer in the Minor Leagues for the Tri-City Dust Devils while maintaining his college football eligibility. This decision led to a falling out with his football coach, Tim O’Brien.
“Russell and I have had very open conversations about his responsibilities respective to baseball and football,” O’Brien said at the time. “While I am certainly respectful of Russell’s dedication to baseball these last several years, within those discussions I also communicated to him the importance of his time commitment to NC State football.”
Wilson was granted a release and decided to transfer without restriction as a graduate student, choosing to join Bret Bielema and the Wisconsin Badgers.
“It has become apparent that the time has come for the program to move on without me,” Wilson said at the time.
He was immediately eligible, leading the Badgers to an 11-3 record and a Big Ten Championship in 2011. He passed for 3,175 yards, a career-high 33 touchdowns to four interceptions, while rushing for 338 yards and six scores. His 33 touchdown passes is the second most in Big Ten, behind Drew Brees with 39 at Purdue in 1998.
Questions about his dedication to football evaporated after that season, and the Seattle Seahawks took him in the third round of the NFL Draft. He won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and has made nine Pro Bowls in his career.
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It’s not a bad resume for a guy looking for his next job.
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