One little detail slowing Wilson
Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE - Taking the snap might look like the easiest part of a quarterback's job.
Unless you happen to be Arkansas freshman Tyler Wilson. Receiving the snap from center is about as foreign as lining up at linebacker for Wilson, who is trying to become the Razorbacks' second-string quarterback behind entrenched senior starter Casey Dick.
Wilson might get the job, if he can improve his fundamentals and execution under center and sharpen his communication skills.
"I like the kid because he's intense,"quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee said of Wilson. "He's really serious, he wants to get better. He's always looking for, 'What can I do, Coach ? How can I get better ? Give me more drills,' so it's going to end up working out for him.
"He's going to be a great player for us. We just need it to happen at a fast pace and a fast rate."
The expectations surrounding Wilson, 6-2, 180, have been high since he switched his commitment from Tulsa to Arkansas after the hiring of Coach Bobby Petrino in December. Wilson came to Arkansas after guiding Greenwood to its third consecutive state championship, including two with him at quarterback.
Wilson passed for more than 8, 000 yards, 93 touchdowns and a completion percentage of nearly 63. 0 percent during his high school career. But he operated out of a Shotgun offense that used a silent count.
Standing under center and calling out signals is a whole new ballgame for Wilson.
"We've got a game in a few days, and if he's actually going to run out there and play, there's going to be a lot of people in that stadium screaming and you can't be silent,"McGee said. "You have to bark it out, you have to really scream it out, and that's what he's struggling with right now."
Wilson doesn't struggle throwing the football. Petrino and his brother Paul, Arkansas' offensive coordinator, have praised Wilson's vision and instincts.
McGee was even more specific, citing Wilson's feel for evading the pass rush and a knack for finding open passing lanes. Mc-Gee said it's clear Wilson understands "how to play the position - how to put touch on the ball, how to drive the ball in, when to throw the ball over the defender's head, when to hold it for a second and throw it between the defenders."
"He has that naturally,"Mc-Gee said.
Wilson has performed well in preseason scrimmages. He capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run in his first series as a Razorback. Wilson completed 5 of 5 passes for 55 yards - including a 5-yard fade-route touchdown to Greg Childs - during one drive in Arkansas' second major scrimmage.
"I just knew that I had to come in with a great attitude and work hard,"Wilson said. "I think I've done that.
"Now I'm getting a little more reps, and I think that's a good thing. I think I'm going to keep progressing as long as I'm getting reps."
McGee said Dick, Wilson and redshirt freshman Nathan Dick are getting the bulk of the work with Arkansas' first- and secondteam offenses in practice. It has not been determined who will back up Casey Dick.
The Razorbacks will practice again today, go through a mock game Friday, then begin gameweek preparations for their Aug. 30 opener against Western Illinois.
"We evaluate every rep, every practice,"McGee said. "We want to see the growth and the development, see who's learning.
"We always evaluate how they are in the meetings, how they act, how they present themselves, because the quarterback is the face of the program, and if something were to happen to Casey right now, that person would be the face of the program."
Wilson moved to Fayetteville in May one day after Greenwood's graduation ceremony and appears to satisfy the requirements McGee mentioned. His physical skills and love of the game are apparent, too.
"I look forward to practice every day,"Wilson said.
That doesn't mean there haven't been rough spots, like Tuesday morning, when a lineman stepped on Wilson's foot as he hesitated to make sure he'd secured the snap.
"When that snap comes up, you have to be moving,"McGee said. "You can't be questioning yourself and wondering if you're going to get the snap because you're playing from behind as soon as the ball is snapped."
If Wilson can iron out those types of kinks, the backup job might be his.
"This kid has some instincts, now,"McGee said. "He's a very good quarterback. He's just going to have to learn how to communicate and be demanding when he's in the huddle and when he's at the line of scrimmage, to really lead the team and give us an opportunity to win."
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