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Tyler Wilson now knows how to spot a blessing in disguise.
Wilson learned the looks of one last year after a severe case of mononucleosis derailed what began as a promising freshman season at Arkansas. The NCAA granted Wilson a medical redshirt waiver, so the disappointment of missing the final two-thirds of the 2008 season was tempered a bit.
Essentially, Wilson gets two freshman seasons. He's made the most of the situation and put himself in serious consideration for playing time even with highly touted Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett on campus.
"It was frustrating, kind of a letdown, but I'll be ahead of the game this year," Wilson said. "This is a whole new freshman year, which is nice. I anticipate being better in a lot of areas."
Wilson's overall knowledge of the Arkansas offense has no doubt gotten better. He missed time on the field but was still heavily involved in team meetings and study of film and the complex Razorbacks playbook.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Wilson was impressive during the spring. He completed 23-of-36 for 301 yards with two touchdowns and an interception playing for both the Red and White teams during the spring game. He completed 14 of 16 for 169 yards and 1 touchdown with the first-team offense in the spring game.
"You just don't know how good that is, to complete 14 of 16 in any game, I don't care who it's against," former Arkansas quarterback great Clint Stoerner said of Wilson's feat. "It's hard to complete 14 of 16 just in passing drills with no one defending."
In fact, Wilson put up better statistics than his counterpart, Mallett, during the spring, but his handle on some finer points of playing quarterback aren't as sharp. Petrino noted Wilson needed to develop better under center and when handing off the ball.
Wilson played almost exclusively out of the shotgun in high school and junior high in Greenwood. His timing on handoffs has also been suspect, but coaches like what they have in Wilson. Coach Bobby Petrino announced in May that Wilson would likely start the first series of the second quarter if the season started after spring practice.
"I tell Tyler this all the time. When he's standing there and he just has to throw the football, he's as good as there is," Petrino said. "I really believe that, but there's more to playing quarterback than just that."
Wilson was a prolific passer at Greenwood. He threw for more than 8,000 yards and 93 touchdown passes in two seasons as a starter with the Bulldogs.
Greenwood won a pair of state titles under Wilson's direction. Plenty of colleges took an interest in Wilson, who initially committed to Tulsa before making a late switch to Arkansas as part of Petrino's first recruiting class.
Some Razorback practice observers outside of the coaching staff thought Wilson was making a push for significant playing time last year behind senior starter Casey Dick. He guided a touchdown drive in his first appearance against a Top 5 Alabama team and showed great promise.
That taste of success has Wilson hungry for more. He's not satisfied with locking down the No. 2 spot behind Mallett.
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"I've got goals. I feel like I'm headed in the right direction," Wilson said. "I can play highly at this level. That's what I see in my future. That's what I'm striving toward right now."
Pressed on what those goals are, Wilson doesn't divulge anything else. He doesn't have to. It's obvious Wilson--as low key as he is--has a highly competitive nature.
Mallett's emergence has only seemed to push Wilson harder. He's making the most of his opportunity and making coaches think twice about handing the reins over to Mallett, no questions asked.
"Everybody wants to talk about Ryan. We're not spending enough time talking about Tyler Wilson," UA quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee said. "When Tyler gets it all figured out, he's going to be good."
TYLER WILSON
CLASS Redshirt Freshman (Medical redshirt)
HEIGHT 6-foot-2
WEIGHT 202 pounds
HOMETOWN Greenwood
CAREER HIGHLIGHT First college drive resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass against Alabama.
STRENGTHS
* Nice touch on passes
* Quiet confidence
* Can make throws off balance
* Accuracy
WEAKNESSES
* Taking snaps from under center
* Handoffs lack polish
* Sometimes too low-key
* Needs weight to withstand SEC hits
COACH'S TAKE
"Everybody wants to talk about Ryan Mallett. We're not spending enough time talking about Tyler Wilson. His completion percentage was better in spring. We're extremely impressed with Tyler. There's just a lot that's new to him ... When he gets it all figured out, he's going to make plays."
--Arkansas quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee
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