Russell Wilson to play football for Wisconsin (5pm update with video)

College Football62

5pm Update: Wilson’s announcement on ESPN.com College Football Live (Video Link).

Link

Russell Wilson has chosen Wisconsin over Auburn for his final year of college football eligibility. In addition he has left the Asheville Tourists, the minor league baseball team he had been playing for.

Following his dismissal from NC State for not giving up baseball to play football full time, much of the speculation pointed towards Wilson going to an SEC school. Given that the SEC is currently the sun around which much of college football revolves, that was understandable. Making good on that speculation, he visited Auburn first among the schools he considered.

However, Wisconsin came into the picture and made a strong impression. It’s likely that the school sold him on its strong returning roster at every position but quarterback. He will operate behind what is always a monstrous offensive line, have a well oiled rushing machine to complement his passing, and play opposite a pretty good defense. The crumbling of scandal-ridden Ohio State also makes Wisconsin’s path to the Big Ten title game a lot easier, as they’re in the same division (Leaders, thanks for asking) and the Badgers travel to Columbus.

Thank God we don’t have to hear about this decision again. It is a bitter sweet day…but, we obviously wish Russell the very best in his future endeavors.

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62 Responses to Russell Wilson to play football for Wisconsin (5pm update with video)

  1. tvp1 06/27/2011 at 11:59 AM #

    Sigh. Hope Major Tom is happy. Can’t wait until this fall, when Wisconsin goes 11-1 and Glennon gets questioned in the press/online after every bad pass. What a monumental cluster****.

  2. runwiththepack 06/27/2011 at 12:05 PM #

    Good luck, Russell. I hope you have a GREAT season. I’ll look for WISC. on the TV schedule this year.

  3. ChemE79a 06/27/2011 at 12:06 PM #

    I have no doubt that if Wilson had made this decision by early last spring he would still be here and would be the starter. TOB could not run an offense all spring built around a QB who could not commit to being here.

  4. Master 06/27/2011 at 12:09 PM #

    @tvp1: Can’t wait until this fall, when Wisconsin goes 11-1 and Glennon gets questioned in the press/online after every bad pass.

    Why must you root for such abysmal results?

    I, for one, wish only the best for Russell Wilson and for the Wolfpack. It is a shame this had to happen, but it is completely understandable given the timing of when both parties needed decisons to be made. You seem to have a defeatist attitude about Mr, Glennon – why so?

  5. wolfpacker 06/27/2011 at 12:10 PM #

    Everyone should wish him WELL! Good Luck Russell!

    He’s a small guy and it will be very interesting to see how well he performs in another conference.

  6. jamieinkorea 06/27/2011 at 12:15 PM #

    We’re State Fans, right? We know what will happen! RW will not throw a pick all year and Wisc will land in a BCS bowl. Good Luck, RW!

  7. TruthBKnown Returns 06/27/2011 at 12:17 PM #

    tvp1, why would “uncle tom” be glad about the decision that Russell forced him to make? I’m sure he’d much rather have had Russell back without fear of losing them both.

  8. TruthBKnown Returns 06/27/2011 at 12:18 PM #

    Sorry, “major tom”, not “uncle tom”. LOL

  9. TruthBKnown Returns 06/27/2011 at 12:20 PM #

    I wish Russell well. I hope Wisconsin wins every game except “if and when” they play State.

    And it occurred to me that if Russell goes off this year, it can bring some attention to NC State. Obviously, it would be better if Glennon also has a good year, because people that don’t know the situation will think we’re the ones that just cast Russell aside.

  10. Wolfman646 06/27/2011 at 12:29 PM #

    “Following his dismissal from NC State…..”

    Maybe I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that it was Wilson’s decision to leave NC State. TOB only said that without spring practice, he wouldn’t be the starter. This smells of Mike Patrick

  11. runwiththepack 06/27/2011 at 12:33 PM #

    Truth,

    It could be almost as bad as the “we ran off a good (basketball) coach” media coverage. And you know that if it comes to that, the same dishonest/misinformed talking heads passing opinion off as fact again.

    OK, Glennon. There must be a reason coach has a lot of faith in you. Let’s see why. Go git ’em.

  12. graywolf 06/27/2011 at 12:33 PM #

    I wish him all the luck in the world and hope that the tide’s have changed for the Pack in regards to Glennon. If Glennon has a stand out year then all is well.

    We shall see…….

  13. TruthBKnown Returns 06/27/2011 at 12:41 PM #

    RWTP, you’re right about that.

    I kind of hope Russell doesn’t show up until mid-September. Then we’ll have a sure “told you so!” to throw in the faces of people that don’t know the real situation.

  14. PackMan97 06/27/2011 at 12:42 PM #

    Regarding the language of “dismissal from NC State”. I don’t know if dismissal was the correct choice of word, but it’s not wrong. It most certainly was a choice made by TOB and not RW.
    * TOB told him what he needed to do to stay with the team and earn a shot at QB1
    * RW did not do what TOB asked
    * TOB wished him well in his future endeavors

    So, while we may not like how this will play out in the media I don’t think it’s inaccurate. One sided perhaps, but whatever.

    ———————-

    Coach Tom O’Brien responded Saturday with a statement read over the phone to a reporter.

    “As I conveyed yesterday, I have had several conversations with Russell,” O’Brien said. “He knew the importance of his time commitment to our football team heading into this offseason, and how things might change if he was not able to make that commitment.

    “As I also communicated, I respect his competitiveness and his contributions to our program and only wish him the best.”

    Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/05/01/1166804/wilson-didnt-want-to-leave.html#ixzz1QUrWHSHe

  15. wolffpride 06/27/2011 at 12:53 PM #

    The only reason people doubt glennon is because of his brother. Unfortunately he can’t help that. Not only has his brother admitted to mike being a much better passer and decision maker, but TOB has said that he could very well be the best QB he has ever coached. He Already has a degree and is not a kid anymore, he is a man. I think he will be great. Besides, our schedule this year should be easy on him at the start.

    In regards to Russell, I hope he tears it. The truth is he will get more press at UW than at State. He could very well win the Heisman if they go undefeated. It will only help his draft stock by playing there. I hope he makes it, the guy is a winner. Best of luck

    And screw what the press says about glennon and state…just hope he doesn’t park in a handicap space or we will hear about it from the N&O.

  16. TeufelWolf 06/27/2011 at 1:00 PM #

    Good Luck to RW. I’m not really sure how a the defending Champs with a QB who was a number 1 pick and the most talked about rookie in years wouldn’t be a more attractive offer than the perinial party school but…whatever. I won’t follow Wisconsin religiously but I’ll check their stats and perk up if I see them on SportsCenter. I wish him the best and hope he commits to a career before it’s too late.

    Anyway, regardless of my how much I liked RW when he was playing for the Pack, my team will have Glennon starting for them. I trust TOB when he said that Glennon has what it takes. If Mustafa can stay healthy, he is going to explode this year. TJ is going to finally break out of his shell (other than that UNC punt return – no complaints there). I’m even more excited about watching the defense. The line is going to be sold and Cole and Manning are going to wreak freaking havoc. I can’t wait to ’til football season.

    GO PACK!

  17. packplantpath 06/27/2011 at 1:01 PM #

    “The only reason people doubt glennon is because of his brother. ”

    No, it is because we remember (sticking with recent history) Marcus Stone & Jay Davis.

    Neither of those was supposed to be a total flop. One of them (Davis?) was supposed to be the next Rivers if you listened to the board monkey hype. I’m anxious about Glennon because I’ve never seen him play a single down of college football that mattered.

  18. GApack04 06/27/2011 at 1:02 PM #

    I wish RW the best of luck. I really can’t wait to see what the Rockies have to say about this.

  19. JeremyH 06/27/2011 at 1:04 PM #

    I am a big fan of NC State and a big fan of Russell Wilson. I have no mixed feelings when I say, good luck Russell, I wish you a great season and the NFL career you are potentially hoping for.

  20. SuperStuff 06/27/2011 at 1:10 PM #

    I wish him the best. Glad he played for NC State.

  21. lawful 06/27/2011 at 1:11 PM #

    I’ll stand alone on the other side that doesn’t really care what he does. Yeah, he was a great scrambler when you needed it but he also threw too many red zone picks the last year or so. …and please don’t throw the D1 record of consecutive passes w/out an INT in my face. That seems like a lifetime ago. I’ll take the prototypical QB.

  22. GApack04 06/27/2011 at 1:15 PM #

    ^ I understand your comments lawful. Wisc does a lot of stuff under center and If I remember correctly they don’t use the gun much. I’m very curious to see how the OC tries to maximize RW’s strengths.

  23. wolffpride 06/27/2011 at 1:23 PM #

    Yeah your right packplantpath,

    We also had Harrison Beck was highly regarded. I still think there would be a more positive outlook if he wasn’t Sean glennon’s brother. Especially with what the coaching staff has said about him. There is not a lot of excitement and just a let’s wait and see attitude. I am excited…and shout out to Teufelwolf, our D is gonna be dirty this year. Top 20 nationally or better (points allowed)

  24. codebrown 06/27/2011 at 1:24 PM #

    I’m with lawful. I say F*$k RW. He’ll throw maybe 10-12 passes a game in that offense. And I’m not sure that he can play in the cold. I think we’re all afraid of the Jay Davis repeat after we lose a great QB. But the program has to move on. I think we should too. If he’s not wearing a State jersey on Saturdays, he’s nothing to me.

  25. lawful 06/27/2011 at 1:24 PM #

    I’m not anti-Russell, I’m just not as enamored w/him as most of my friends both state and non-state fans. Yes, he was a good quarterback and will be considered one of our best. For whatever reason, I seem to recall too many red zone mistakes recently that left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe he was forcing the ball. Maybe he had a bit of arrogance based on that record. Obviously, TOB isn’t crying b/c he’s leaving…neither am I.

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