Quincy Wilson arrived at last week’s Under Armour All-America Underclassmen Combine in St. Petersburg, Fla. ready to see where he stacked up against some of the nation’s elite.
It didn’t take along for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior defensive backs from University High School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) to learn that he was sticking out at Tropicana Field on Friday morning.
During the testing portion of the event, Wilson clocked a 6.7 in the three-cone drill, a time fast enough to make the coach with the stopwatch call over to somebody else at the end of the drill.
“Prime, I have to tell you about someone real quick,” he said to Deion Sanders, who had just arrived at the facility.
Sanders was equally impressed, especially once he saw how big Wilson was and tried to get as much information about him as he could.
That would just be the beginning of a standout day for Wilson, who displayed the cover skills of a corner in a safety’s body.
“As a big guy, I cover pretty good as if I was 5-10, 5-11,” Wilson says.
Sanders may not have known about Wilson prior to that three-cone drill, but college coaches know plenty about him. 25 programs, including Notre Dame, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Clemson and Ohio State among others, have already offered scholarships.
“It’s nice,” said Wilson of the offers, which he also attributes to his rare combination of size and coverage ability. “It started out early for me and I’ve been blessed.”
And while college coaches from across the country know about Wilson, few probably know him as well as Notre Dame assistant Tony Alford.
“I talk to him almost every day,” Wilson said of the Irish recruiting coordinator. “He’s a great guy. It seems like he cares about me and he wants the best for me.”
Asked whether he talks to any other coaches that often, Wilson said, “Just Coach Tony.”
That kind of constant communication has allowed the Irish to convey their legit interest and receive a spot among the schools sticking out at this point.
“I can tell that Notre Dame wants me a lot,” said Wilson. “He just tells me that it’s a great place to go and it’s the most historic college in history and they get the best players from across the nation.”
Wilson is looking at the possibility of taking an official visit to South Bend in the fall. He also has a few other schools that he has a sincere interest in and would like to take trips to.
“Probably LSU, Ohio State, Florida and Clemson,” he said. “Those are the schools that are sticking out as my biggest offers.”
When Wilson sits down to make his decision, the Irish should have at least one of their bases covered thanks to Alford’s diligence.
“I think it’s going to come down to my relationships with the coaches and if I can play early.”
