Wilson Googlestalking

Yesterday Michigan picked up a commitment, its 14th, from PA h-back/linebacker Christian Wilson. What follows is a comprehensive assessment of him based on that old standby, the Google search.

If you unwisely decided that "Dick Butkus fake* takes over a crappy high school team" was a good show to watch, you may remember Wilson as the injured captain of Montour on the show Bound For Glory. That didn't work out so well: Butkus, only paid for eight weeks, rolled out of town a couple weeks before Montour ended their season 1-8. Wilson's still angry about how he was portrayed on the show:

"(I was mad) because the way that they came out with it," Wilson said. "The show wasn't the way that they predicted it to be with all the drama. They basically turned it into what they wanted it to be, and that really wasn't what it was. That's what made me mad the most. It made me look like something I'm not."

Hurray benevolent ESPN overlords.

Anyway, Wilson's recruitment is somewhat odd. Despite a flood of early, prestigious offers (by May, Wilson had offers from...

The Demon Deacons have already offered as have Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, Clemson, Maryland and Louisville (first offer last September).

...and that number setteled around 40-50 in most articles starting around midsummer) he's only a mid-to-low four-star recruit to the guru services. Rivals ranks him #235 in the 2008 class; Scout pegs him at #292. ESPN is far higher on him, grading him an 81 and ranking him #107 in their ESPN150. Their scouting report($) projects him as a 240 pound OLB:

Flashes the speed to chase plays down from the backside with a great short-area closing burst on contact. That skill at 225 pounds is what separates him. He can generate force quickly for his size and bring the wood with him on tackles. In coverage, he shows his offensive experience by displaying great ball skills and awareness. Demonstrates fluid hips and athleticism in his turns and crossovers, but his instincts to read the quarterback and pattern match are what really stand out. ... At times, he plays stiff with lacking good change-of-direction skill. However, we are also talking about a college sized linebacker who can split out at wide receiver and stretch a defense. Wilson just needs time to polish up, and add technique to his raw skill. If a college team can be patient developing this kid -- they could have future stud on their hands.

Michigan, though, intended on bringing him in as an H-back in the mold of BJ Askew or Aaron Shea:

"I went to the Michigan spring game a while back and it was really cold," Wilson said. "It was like 30 degrees and they didn't get as many people out there as they thought. The coaches are really smart and they said they could see using me a lot. The want me for H-back and are one of the only schools that have already specified a position."

That may have changed recently, with Michigan changing its offer to "wherever":

Michigan initially recruited Wilson as a running back, but he's also considered as one of the Wolverines' top linebacker prospects. Wilson doesn't prefer one position over the other, but he says he's more comfortable on offense because that's where he's played his entire life.

Last year he played both ways; he'll do it again this fall:

The previously injury-plagued Wilson is stronger and healthier and focused on improving upon his junior campaign, when he rushed for 970 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also recorded a team-high 79 tackles.

I'm a bit less excited about the Wilson commit than I would normally be given his array of offers -- h-back doesn't seem like a position of huge import and there's a convincing case that Ohio State's pursuit was less than fevered -- but he's still a versatile player who has two ways to find the field, the size to be a Big Ten linebacker or fullback/TE, and some guru support.

Random things. This was mentioned yesterday but bears repeating. Wilson has some shiny-ass teeth:

People might be surprised to know that ... I brush my teeth like a million times a day.

Also, he's apparently the Antichrist** (and all this time I thought it was Jim Tressel):

Poems by Christian Wilson: 6 / 14	next poem >>

I Am The Antichrist

Flames licking at my body I start to rise out of the depths From darkness i shall come forth And walk among you on your earth Will you recongise who i am? Will you bow down on your knees? A gift i bring to you, its called pure hate An emotion you have never known This feeling do you like it?

If he sacks Jimmy Clausen the ensuing matter-anti-matter reaction will destroy the planet! Maybe we should keep him on offense.

*(unsurprising but:

"Bound For Glory" is the story of the Montour High School's quest to turn a losing football program into a winner under the direction of coach Dick Butkus, the NFL Hall of Famer. And that's the lie. Butkus is not the coach. He might be the coach on the TV show, but he's not the real coach of the Spartans. Lou Cerro is the real coach.

)

**(just to be clear, this isn't actually Christian Wilson. It's some 21-year-old emo kid with other masterpieces like "Anger and Pain," "Demons Inside of Me" and "Revenge of the Crow." But hell yes his suggested nickname is going to be "the Antichrist." )