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NC State

Why QB Will Wilson has embraced his role as a package runner

2019_WP_Icon512x512by: The Wolfpacker15 hours agoTheWolfpacker
Will Wilson
(Photo courtesy of Will Wilson)

By Noah Fleischman

He wears it on his right hand every day. It serves as a reminder for what his mindset is on the football field. The black silicon wristband has three words written in white lettering: “Go get it.”

That’s exactly what NC State freshman quarterback Will Wilson thinks every time he takes the field. And this fall, that motto is taking a new meaning as he has become the Wolfpack’s go-to short-yardage quarterback with his 4.53 40-yard dash speed inside a 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. 

Wilson played two snaps in the Wolfpack’s 35-31 win over Virginia — his collegiate debut — this past weekend, including a critical fourth-down conversion from the NC State 28-yard line in the fourth quarter. He rushed for 6 yards on 2 carries, picking up a pair of first downs in the process. 

“Will’s a great player,” NC State starting quarterback CJ Bailey said postgame. “His toughness showed today. I’m really proud of him. We’ll use him more. He’s a really great player. He’s going to do whatever he can for the team, and I just want to keep seeing him succeed.”

While Wilson, the Wolfpack’s prized signal-caller from the 2025 cycle, is a capable passer, his legs have provided NC State a unique weapon in the plus-one quarterback run game. After all, he rushed for 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns (while also throwing for 2,482 yards with 22 scores) during his senior campaign at Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast. 

The first-year quarterback has embraced his new role while learning behind Bailey and redshirt sophomore backup Lex Thomas this fall. Why? He wants to do anything he can to help the Wolfpack win games, while using his elite toughness and strength — he squatted 500 pounds with 18 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press this summer — to his advantage. 

So far, so good in that department. 

“I’m going to put my body on the line for the team at any time, any moment,” Wilson said Monday afternoon. “That’s the type of player I am. I’m a go-get-it guy. I’m a winner. Anything the team needs, that’s my job to go get it — to go win.”

Wilson understands that his current role is to help move the chains as a running quarterback in key situations, but NC State coach Dave Doeren did leave the door open for the freshman to use his arm, at times, in the future as well.

“Will’s a tough kid. He’s competitive, super strong. He’s very into the game plan, and because of how he practiced the last two weeks, I had no hesitation [playing him],” Doeren said. “When those downs and distances present themselves in situations, it gives us a chance to get a guy in the game that obviously can run, but he can do a lot more than that. Excited that we got him in and he had success.” 

The 13th-year coach also described Wilson’s pair of first-down runs as a “confidence builder, not just for him, but for all the guys on the field with him.”

Wilson’s ability to earn a first down, especially in one of the more critical spots of the game deep inside the Wolfpack territory, is an added tool in the offense’s toolbox moving forward. It’s unclear whether or not NC State is looking to preserve Wilson’s redshirt, but he can still appear in three more regular-season games before that becomes a concern. 

No matter when his number is called to use his body to help move the ball, Wilson will be ready to go. He’s proud to have a role that can help impact winning moving forward.

“What Coach D needs from me, he’s going to get every time,” Wilson said. “I’m going to do it 100 percent. I’m going to go get it. Whatever this team needs.”

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