Big Red
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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Everyone wants to be a quarterback, and after playing the position at Gardena (Calif.) Serra High School, Caleb Wilson originally committed to do more of the same at Old Dominion University.
That plan changed after a moment of reckoning.
“My senior year in California, the quarterbacks out there were like Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Blake Barnett, some really talented guys, and I knew there was a difference between me and them,” Wilson said. “I knew I could play, but it was like, ‘You know what? They’re a little better than I am.’ I was like, ‘You can put three or four tight ends on the field. There’s only one quarterback. Maybe I should give myself a better chance.’”
Wilson chose the road less traveled, forgoing a scholarship to walk on as a tight end at USC. He transferred to UCLA after one year because his father, Chris, was fired by the Trojans and eventually broke out with the Bruins. Wilson led all collegiate tight ends with 965 receiving yards last year and was selected by the Cardinals with the final pick of the draft.
As a former quarterback, it’s not a huge surprise that Wilson’s weakness is his blocking, but he has landed in an intriguing situation with the Cardinals. Coach Kliff Kingsbury employs a spread offense in which tights ends are valued more for their receiving ability, and Wilson has impressed early on.
“He has great route-running ability, great hands and so I’m interested to see, once we get pads on, where that goes,” Kingsbury said.
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