James Tyler Wilson (born August 16, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. Wilson is the all time passing yards leader at the University of Arkansas. He was drafted by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in the fourth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
.
Wilson was also a member of the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
and
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
.
High school career
Wilson graduated in 2008 from
Greenwood High School in
Greenwood, Arkansas
Greenwood is a city in and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is the fifth largest municipality in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 8,952 according to ...
.
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
ranked Wilson the no. 9 pro-style quarterback in the nation and no. 5 overall player in Arkansas.
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
rated Wilson as the eighth best quarterback recruit in the U.S.
Wilson led Greenwood to its third straight state championship, second as the starting quarterback. In his two years as starter for the Greenwood Bulldogs, Wilson threw for over 8,000 yards with 93 touchdown passes. Wilson won the 2007 Landers Award as the state of Arkansas' top football player. He was selected as an all-conference and all-state performer. Also an outstanding baseball player, Wilson was named the
Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine playe ...
for 2007-08. He finished his senior campaign 11-0 and had a 1.42 ERA while striking out 92 batters in 64 innings. He batted .415 with four home runs, 14 doubles, and 30 RBI. He had a career record on the mound of 32-9 with 386 strike outs in 251.1 innings.
High school statistics
Recruiting
Source:
College career
While attending the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, Wilson was a member of the
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Weste ...
team from 2008 to 2012. Finalizing his career at Arkansas Wilson set 29 school passing records. A recreation and sports management major, Wilson graduated from Arkansas in December 2012.
2008–2010
Wilson played in two games as a true freshman in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, completing 11-of-22 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Those two games were in consecutive weeks against Alabama and Texas. He missed the remainder of the season due to an illness and received a medical redshirt.
In five games for Arkansas in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
as a redshirt freshman, Wilson finished the season 22-for-36 with 218 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He threw for a total of 138 yards on 13-of-19 passing and both touchdowns with an interception in the season opener against Missouri State. At
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, he completed 4-of-6 passes for 31 yards. His other action came in a victory over
Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
where he went 5-of-11 for 49 yards with an interception.
Wilson played in six games for the Razorbacks in his redshirt sophomore season of
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. He threw for 453 yards on 34-of-51 passing and four touchdowns with three interceptions. Wilson saw extensive playing time in a game at
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
after
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England ...
suffered a concussion. He threw for 332 yards on 25-of-34 passing and four touchdowns with two interceptions in little over half the game. Wilson also saw action in a win against
Ole Miss. He threw for 71 yards on 3-of-5 passing while managing the offensive effectively. According to
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
, Wilson was rated as the No. 5 quarterback prospect for the
2012 NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
.
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's
Todd Blackledge
Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is a former American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 19 ...
listed Wilson as the No. 1 replacement player to watch for the 2011 season.
2011
On August 25, 2011, Arkansas head coach
Bobby Petrino
Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is the former head coach for the Missouri State Bears. Previously, he served as the head coa ...
named redshirt junior Wilson starting quarterback. In his first season as a starter, A team captain who started all 13 games, Wilson led Arkansas to an 11–2 record, which tied the school’s single-season record for wins and the third season in school history to reach that number of wins. Wilson also became the first quarterback in Arkansas history to be named first-team All-SEC.
Wilson finished the 2011 season 277-for-438 for 3,638 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions and became just the second quarterback in school history with over 3,000 single-season passing yards.
He was a finalist for the
Manning Award
The Manning Award has been presented annually since the 2004 football season to the collegiate American football quarterback as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States. It is the only quarterback award that incl ...
and
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...
and semifinalist for the
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...
.
In the season-opening 51-7 win over Missouri State, Wilson completed 18 of 24 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns and followed that game with another outstanding offensive performance: 18-of-26 passing for 259 yards and one passing touchdown in addition to 48 rushing yards on five carries, in a 52-3 victory over
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
. Wilson passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns while completing 23 of 36 passes in the 38-28 win over
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...
.
Wilson was named SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week after leading Arkansas to a 42-38 upset of No. 14
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
at
Cowboys Stadium
AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the hom ...
. Rallying Arkansas from an 18-point halftime deficit, Wilson broke the Arkansas school record with 510 passing yards in completing 30 of 51 passes for three touchdowns. This was the fifth 500-yard passing game in SEC history and the first since 2001.
In another big comeback victory, Wilson completed 13 of 28 passes for 232 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in a 29-24 win at
Ole Miss; Arkansas trailed by as many as 17. He completed 27 of 43 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown in a 31-28 win at
Vanderbilt rallying from a 14-point deficit.
Wilson made a career-long-tying 68-yard pass in the 44-28 win vs. No. 10
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
and passed for three touchdowns in a 49-7 win vs.
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. Wilson was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for completing a school record 32 passes, including three touchdowns, in the 44-17 victory vs.
Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
.
For completing 20 of 31 passes for 216 yards and tow touchdowns, Wilson was Offensive MVP of the
Cotton Bowl, a 29-16 win for No. 6 Arkansas over No. 9
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
.
Arkansas finished the 2011 season ranked No. 5 in the
AP Poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...
, the program's first top-five finish since 1977.
2012
Wilson had 11 starts as a senior in 2012. He finished the season 249-of-401 passing for 3,387 yards and 21 touchdowns. He broke the Arkansas single-season record with five 350-yard pass games and was a finalist for the
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...
and the
SEC Community Service Team.
With an average of 307.9 passing yards, Wilson led the SEC and ranked 10th in Division I FBS in passing yards per game and ranked second in the conference and 15th in Division I FBS with an average of 308.5 yards of total offense per game.
In the season-opening 49-24 win over Jacksonville State, Wilson completed 19 of 27 passes for 367 passing yards and three touchdowns.
In a 49-7 victory over
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, Wilson tied the Arkansas single-game record with five passing touchdowns and tied for third for single-game touchdowns. He broke the Arkansas single-game record for total plays with 62 and pass attempts (59) in a 58-10 loss to
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
.
He was 11-of-20 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the first half vs.
Louisiana–Monroe before being forced to sit out the second half due to injury; he would miss the next week's game against
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
as well.
In the 38-20 loss to No. 12
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, Wilson broke the Arkansas record for career completions. He ended his career with a 31-of-52 passing performance for 359 yards, breaking the UA career passing yards record, and one touchdown while rushing for a season-high 38 yards on nine carries in a 20-13 loss to No. 8
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
.
Wilson had a 4–7 record as a starter in 2012, despite Arkansas beginning the season ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll.
Following the season he was selected to play in the
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...
, where he was 8-of-11 passing, leading the South Team in completions, for 40 yards as the South earned a 21-16 win.
Statistics
Professional career
Before the 2012 college football season, Wilson was projected as the No. 1 pick in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
''.
Oakland Raiders
Despite setting a number of school records in his senior season, Wilson's draft status fell. He was taken in the fourth round by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
with the 112th pick in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. After a promising early start in Oakland he was projected to compete with Raiders quarterbacks
Matt Flynn
Matthew Clayton Flynn (born June 20, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Packers when they won Super Bowl XLV over the Pitts ...
and
Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor Sr. (born June 20, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver and quarterback. Considered the most recruited high school football-basketball athlete in southwestern Pennsylvania since Tom Clements, Pryor was widely regarde ...
for playing time in 2013.
Wilson was the highest drafted member of the 2013 NFL class to not make his team's opening day roster after dropping to 4th string behind
Matt McGloin
Matthew James "Matt" McGloin (born December 2, 1989) is a former American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 2010 to 2012. McGloin was the first walk-on quarterback to start ...
, but was signed to the Raiders' practice squad a day later. Mid-season he was activated onto the Raiders active roster and played the role of back up the remainder of the season.
Tennessee Titans
On December 17, 2013, Wilson was signed by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. On August 6, 2014, Wilson was released.
Cincinnati Bengals
On August 9, 2014, Wilson was signed by the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. He appeared in two preseason games and completed a combined 10 of 18 passes with 1 passing touchdown and accounting for another scoring drive. Despite having some success in short order, he was waived during final cuts on August 29, 2014.
References
External links
Tyler Wilsonon Twitter
Tennessee Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Tyler
1989 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks football players
Cincinnati Bengals players
Oakland Raiders players
People from Greenwood, Arkansas
Players of American football from Arkansas
Tennessee Titans players
American real estate brokers