Though he no longer holds the distinction of being the newest 2009 commitment for IU football (kicker
Mitch Ewald committed earlier today), wide receiver
Duwyce Wilson (pronounced Da-weese) is arguably the biggest commitment for the Hoosiers thus far into the recruiting season.
Wilson made his verbal commitment just four days ago. IUplanet had a chance to talk with him today about his decision and what he will bring to the field for IU.
Wilson’s attraction to IU had been building for some time when he committed, despite offers from programs like Cincinnati, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Wilson liked Indiana for several reasons. “It’s 45 minutes away, I have a great relationship with the coaches, it’s a great academic school, it was just perfect,” he said. He noted that Cincinnati was also “kind of close,” but that he was “pretty much leaning toward IU the whole time.”
Wilson and his mentor made the short trip to Bloomington last week to bring the good news, and the IU coaching staff was of course jubilant. “When I told him, I kind of surprised him. When I told him I was ready to be a Hoosier, he jumped on me, and was really excited. It was pretty cool,” recalled Wilson.
Now that the recruiting process is over, Wilson is relieved to have his decision made. “It feels good, now I can finally focus on my high school football season,” he said about his post-decision state.
Duwyce Wilson
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 190
Hometown: Columbus, Indiana
Rivals.com Rankings: 3 stars, 63rd out of wide receivers
Football-wise, Wilson brings loads of talent to the Hoosiers. He racked up 49 catches for 967 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season for Columbus East High School, and ran a 4.44 second 40-yard dash at the combine.
“I believe some of my strengths are going up to get the ball, catching the ball in traffic, deep balls, I’m good at deep balls. I’d say some of my weaknesses are reading the defense, I can do a little better job on that, and getting bigger and stronger,” he said about his game.
He believes that his high school experiences will help him transition to playing for IU come 2009. “Wherever they want to put me, I’ll try to do my best there. It’s basically the same offense as my high school, so I think I’ll fit in pretty good.”
When asked about whether or not the slew of new wide receiver prospects committed to play both this year and 2009, he wasn’t fazed. While some recruits choose the path of least resistance, looking for guaranteed playing time, Wilson liked the fact that he would have quality competition. “I like it when other good receivers come and try to compete for a spot or share a spot or whatever,” he said. “I feel like it makes me play better. I don’t mind it.”
The multi-talented Wilson might also have a future with
Tom Crean and Hoosier basketball. “We talked about it,” he said about the possibility of playing basketball at the next level. “Me, Coach Lynch, and Coach Crean talked, and it’s a possibility. It’s a possibility that I might be able to walk on my first year, to see how it is. Coach Lynch said it would be all right, but I haven’t really made my choice yet on that, I might just try.”
Right now, Wilson is concentrating on preparations for his final year of high school. “Right now we’re working on conditioning, because last year we had a lot of trouble with conditioning, so we’re really focusing on that. We’re getting all the new players in the mix, and we’re heading on the right track.”
And even though he has a whole year of high school left, he is still excited for what awaits him in Bloomington. “Just the new people I’m going to meet, and starting a new life basically,” he said about what excites him the most. “I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and everything.”
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Thanks to Duwyce for the great interview!