9/17/2022 football Edit

A high point in Johnny Wilson's career - and the first of many?

Johnny Wilson goes up for a touchdown over Louisville DB Jarvis Brownlee. (Pat McDonough / USA Today Sports)

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

Johnny Wilson wanted a fresh start.

He said in his first interview at Florida State back in January that he felt he wasn’t used properly at Arizona State and had battled injuries, all of which prompted him to explore the transfer portal.

When Mike Norvell reached out to him, he remembered back to Norvell’s time as offensive coordinator at Arizona State and how the FSU head coach developed one of his favorite wide receivers, Jaelen Strong.

He bet on Norvell and moved across the country in an effort to recover the prestige he had as a four-star recruit, the No. 104 overall prospect and No. 14 wide receiver in the 2020 class.

It hasn’t taken much time for Wilson’s faith to be rewarded.

After his monster showing Friday night at Louisville, Wilson already has more receiving yards (260) and touchdown catches (two) in three games with the Seminoles than he did in eight games over two seasons with the Sun Devils (243 yards and one touchdown).

“Honestly, for me it’s been sticking to the process,” Wilson said. “My first two years weren’t the best for me, personally. But just coming here, being able to get a new opportunity to showcase what I have to offer to a team and be able to be a part of something bigger than just myself. Everyone on this team works hard.

“For me, coming here, it was just, ‘Do your job.’ That’s all coach Norvell preaches, ‘Be you, do your job and everything will take care of itself.’ For me, it’s just when a play is called, do my job. If the ball is coming to me, make a play, it’s an opportunity. I’ve just been really focused on football, limiting distractions and trying to get better everyday.”

Wilson was seen as one of the biggest wild cards on the roster. Moving like a wide receiver instead of tight end while standing 6-foot-7, he’s the type of physical specimen who should be first off the bus. But he’s battled injuries – he played in just five games last season at ASU due to a hamstring ailment – and struggled to consistently catch the ball.

The latter was on display this past spring at FSU where he seemingly alternated good and bad practices. It was improved this preseason and has carried over into the season in a significant way.

Friday’s game, which Wilson finished with a career-high 149 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, was a culmination of all that growth. Big plays in the open field and unguardable in the red zone, as he was on what would be the game-winning touchdown catch.

“Johnny has been incredible. Just his growth from spring practice to this fall, we believe we’ve got a special player there,” Norvell said. “He seized the moment. His size, his speed, going and attacking the ball, it was a really, really impressive performance. Tate (Rodemaker) put the ball in good places for him. To see those two connecting, that’s what it’s all about.”

Wilson was a productive target for starting quarterback Jordan Travis early in the game. He had a key third-down-conversion catch on the Seminoles’ first series and recorded three catches for 46 yards before Travis left with an injury.

But Wilson’s real value came once Travis went down and Rodemaker was thrown into the game, establishing himself as quite a safety blanket.

He had a 22-yard catch on the first drive of the third quarter, instilling some confidence in a quarterback in desperate need of exactly that. Then he created separation for the 69-yard catch, which set up his first touchdown catch at FSU a few plays later to tie the game back up.

And then he delivered his magnum opus, running the fade route to perfection, mossing former FSU cornerback Jarvis Brownlee and getting a foot down to give the Seminoles the lead for good.

“It was a fade. I just knew the fade, to me, it’s 80-20. If I don’t catch it, no one catches it so I’m gonna catch it,” Wilson said. “That was it, pretty much. It was just they called the play, I knew he was going to throw it to me and that was my opportunity to make a play.”

Rodemaker added, “I’m glad he could put it on display. He’s done it every single day in practice. He’s showing his ability that he’s one of the best (receivers) in the country.”

Wilson’s playmaking ability is exactly what the Seminoles have been missing through Norvell’s first two seasons in Tallahassee. It’s fairly similar to the remarkable showing that veteran wideout Ontaria Wilson had two weeks ago in the Seminoles’ 24-23 win over LSU.

This marks two straight weeks where an FSU wide receiver has recorded 100-plus receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches.

That hadn’t happened even once over the previous 23 FSU games. And it had happened just twice in the previous five seasons dating all the way back to the end of the 2016 season.

There may be some hurdles on the horizon, but as things stand, FSU’s wide receiver room has blown past its preseason expectation through three games.

“I wasn’t here last year so I don’t know how practices and games were, but being here this year, everyone has been really focused on one goal,” Wilson said. “We all have a main goal in sight and everyone knows to do their job, win their matchup. I try to tell everyone, ‘Just put it in your head you can’t be stopped. Whenever you line up, tell them I can’t be stopped.’ Seeing the growth from everyone in the room, it’s been phenomenal. We’ve got some great dudes.”