N.C. State fans will remember former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson leading the Pack on the gridiron at Carter-Finley Stadium for three seasons. As he and the Seattle Seahawks prepare for an upcoming playoff battle against the New Orleans Saints, there is little question that Wilson has become one of the top signal callers in the NFL.
But what many non-Wolfpack supporters forget is that he was also a fantastic infielder on the baseball team for three seasons. The former fourth round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2010, Wilson toiled for two seasons before famously deciding to concentrate on a football career.
Baseball, however, may not be ready to give up on him just yet. The Texas Rangers selected Wilson in the MLB Rule 5 draft on Dec. 12. Officials from the club indicated they were willing to invest in the former Rockies farmhand if he decided to make a baseball comeback and would still value his presence, even if his days on the diamond are behind him.
N.C. State head coach Elliott Avent, who led the Wolfpack to its first College World Series berth in 45 years last season, coached Wilson during his time in Raleigh. The veteran coach said he was not surprised in the least that the Rangers made the selection, and he thinks that it could prove to be a wise investment.
“It is probably shocking to some people because he is doing so well in football,” Avent said. “I coached Russell for three years, and I recruited Russell. He always said ‘I am going to play Major League Baseball’, so I know his passion and achievement level. You wouldn’t think of him playing Major League Baseball, but I’m sure in the back of his mind that still exists.”
Wilson had some trouble hitting while in the Colorado minor league system, batting a combined .229 with 118 strikeouts in 315 at bats.
Despite Wilson’s issues at the plate in the minors, Avent said he feels that should not be enough to deter the Rangers. And should Wilson decide to give baseball another try, it will be his work ethic that carries him through.
“There have been so many people I have come across in my life that I put on a list separate of others,” Avent said. “[These people] have a work ethic that exceeds most others. Russell Wilson may top the list of those I have ever seen because he had to balance two sports.”
“He was the quarterback in one sport, which means he had extra responsibilities. He had to be the leader—the first one in and the last one to leave—so he had even greater responsibility in football,” Avent said. “Then he graduated from N.C. State with something like a 3.00 GPA in three years. He is one of the best I have ever seen.”
Coming to N.C. State from Richmond, Va. where he was a two-sport star, it was former Wolfpack assistant coach and current Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman who helped bring the two-sport star to Raleigh.
And while it may not shock Avent if Wilson is a two-sport star again in the future, the veteran coach said he feels that Texas got a bargain in the MLB Rule 5 Draft should the former Wolfpack star decide to be just a mentor for young players during spring training.
“When Russell Wilson is ever in the presence of any of your players, your team instantly gets better,” Avent said. “He had that knack as a player. It is not just about Russell’s play at quarterback for Seattle, it is about his leadership.”
“I don’t really look at his stats. His value is in that he is a leader and he makes everybody better on that ballclub. That is what he is doing in Seattle and that is what he did at N.C. State, whether it is football or baseball. Anytime you can have Russell Wilson around your players, you have to do it,” Avent said.
