CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- If Martez Wilson wasn't one of the most sought-after linebackers playing college football today, his goal would be to open a chain of convenience stores. Nothing fancy, just a place people can go to and buy things from. Stop after work and get food for dinner, stop on their way to school to get a snack. It has been a dream of Wilson's as long as he can remember, he told the University of Illinois' Daily Illini, saying he wants to do something more substantial than just sports. "I've always wanted to own something since when I was younger, own my own business," he told the [image-nocss] newspaper.
But somewhere between then and now, "stratospheric" expectations were lumped on him, said the report. When a player has Wilson's size, speed and inherent physical ability, things can escalate quickly. "I've coached Rashard Mendenhall, who was a tremendous talent," runningback coach Reggie Mitchell told the paper. "But when you just talk about a guy's raw talent, I don't think I've ever been around a guy that can do the things he can."
The Daily Illini asked, why even care about anything other than making it to the NFL? He's clearly on his way having already found a spot on the 2008 Butkus Award watch list as a sophomore and a preseason First-Team All-Big Ten selection by some news organizations after recording only 29 tackles in 2007. Why not just coast by on your talent until your junior year, come out early and get a first-round pick contract, which seem to go up in dollar value every year?
"Most people think my No. 1 goal is just make it to the NFL," Wilson answered. "Which, I mean, yeah, it can be my No. 1 goal, but it just can't be my only one. I have other goals I want to accomplish too."
Wilson seems to use his desire for something other than football as an escape, which may be why people have a hard time believing his mind is on anything but football at all times, said the report. Wilson is, if nothing else, a classic can't-miss talent that makes scouts lose control of their jaws. But Wilson understands that during the 2007 season he was not where he should have been. Rather than a controlled player using his abilities effectively, he became more or less a caricature of a linebacker, a blitz mercenary, the report said.
Dan Disch and the other defensive coaches are critical of their linebacker for only showcasing his ability on open-field plays. "Potentially, as an athlete, he's as good as I've ever seen," Disch told the paper. "But as a linebacker, he's still not there. He's middle of the road right now."
Mitchell, though, is likely the coach impacting Wilson the most off the field right now, the Illini said. Since recruiting him, Mitchell and Wilson have become more than friends. "Since he's been here, I've been trying to mentor him, trying to get him to do the right things on and off the field," Mitchell added. "He's a tremendous talent. It's just a matter of us developing friendship and trust. He believes that I have his best interests at heart."
Serving as his presumptive life coach, Mitchell said he does not try to sway Wilson one way or the other on the field, but the things that the two work at together off the field translate to gameday. "I don't try to coach him, he gets enough of that already," Mitchell said. "Our relationship] is more strictly, 'Hey, this is what you need to do to be successful on and off the field.' Coach Disch and Coach Zook and all those guys coach him on defense; he's got enough people in his ear doing that."
Even with coaches, players, scouts and the like telling him different things, Wilson is trying to keep everything in perspective. He's trying to let the game come to him and embrace whatever the game will throw his way in the future. "I think it's just that I've gotten more used to my surroundings. I'm normally pretty laid back and a keep to myself kind of guy at first. But now, I've got a bigger role to play, I feel more confident, I love my teammates, I just feel open," he told the paper.
When asked what he thinks his career is going to hold for him, Wilson shifted his frame on the metal benches at Illinois' practice fields, causing the bench to respond in an audible shift of its own. Does he believe he can excel on Sundays in the NFL? Does he think he can be the best linebacker to come out of Illinois since Butkus, Hardy or Howard? Does he believe he can really open a chain of c-stores that he would like to aptly name "Sacks 'N Stuff"?
"We'll see what the future holds," Wilson said. "Whatever I make it to be, I think it's going to be something very good."
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