Garrett Wilson has made a living catching footballs on Sundays. However, the current New York Jets wide receiver and former Ohio State Buckeye once dreamed of being a Tar Heel.
The interesting part? Football wasn’t the sport that Wilson envisioned bringing him to Chapel Hill.
Garrett Wilson dreamed of playing for the UNC basketball program
Appearing on Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast, 'St. Brown Podcast,' Wilson discussed how he was a two-sport star during his high school days. While Wilson admitted he was considered too small to play basketball at the next level, he noted that one school in particular would've changed his mindset about his future.
"If I got that North Carolina offer in basketball, it's over, bro. I'm gone."
Yes, an offer from the UNC basketball program would have been enough to sway his decision on his future. To add to it, Wilson was asked if he had to choose between North Carolina basketball and Ohio State football, which one would he have chose.
The former Buckeye star didn't even hesitate with his response:
"North Carolina hoops, bro, yeah. Back when we were growing up, too, like, you got MJ (Michael Jordan), Tyler Hansbrough. I remember as a kid, I thought Tyler Hansbrough was so raw. "
To make Tar Heel fans love Wilson even more, he went on to add that he grew to hate Duke, really buying into the rivalry between the historic programs.
Now that's what we love to hear!
Ultimately, Wilson made the right choice by sticking with football. After an electric college career at Ohio State, the Jets selected Wilson in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and his success continued to build. He became the 14th player in league history to record 1,000+ receiving yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, and would've been on track to make it three in a row had he not gotten injured during the 2025 season.
Even though it was a long shot, given that UNC didn't offer in either sport, Wilson could've become the next Julius Peppers (with the only difference being that Wilson was a full-time offensive player). Roy Williams could've secured a commitment from a smaller guard whom he undoubtedly would've called a "tough little nut" and would've given the football program a star receiver to build the offense around.
While it would've been awesome to see, you can just add Garrett Wilson to the long list of former college stars who have publicly admitted that they wanted to be a Tar Heel.
Although, if Wilson really wants to be a Tar Heel, he could join one of the hundreds of lawsuits currently against the NCAA. Let's face it: at least a handful of college athletes will be older than Wilson once the upcoming basketball season gets underway (and besides, the Jets will be out of the playoff hunt well before November 2 arrives anyway!).
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