PROVO — Few players will arrive at BYU for the hopeful 2020 football season with better high school success than Josh Wilson.
Starring for the highly-successful Corner Canyon football program, the 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker led the Chargers’ stingy defense while playing a big role in securing consecutive state championships. He logged 130 total tackles his senior season, along with four interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, and six sacks.
Projected to play middle linebacker for the Cougars, Josh is the younger brother of current BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. The Wilsons come from a football family that played a part in vaulting Zach to early success with some of those same hopes placed on Josh.
But high school success doesn’t always translate to the next level, so what can fans expect from Josh Wilson during his freshman season and for the years after? We sat down with former BYU player Ben Criddle, who now hosts Cougar Sports with Ben Criddle on espn960 to break down Josh Wilson’s film.
What are your overall impressions of Josh Wilson?
“The thing that stands out to me about Josh is it’s very apparent when watching his film that he, himself, watches a lot of film and is a football junkie. He just really knows and understands the game so well and that’s very apparent when watching his film.
“When you bring in a kid like that, who is a football junkie from a football family, there’s just about a 100% chance they’ll find a way to contribute. He loves the game and he’s very good at what he does.
“Sure, he’s surrounded by a lot of great players at Corner Canyon, but he’s still a guy who had 130 tackles in one season and is a true ball hawk who just shows to understand the game at a different level than most guys he went against.”
What specific things did you like about his film?
“His coverage skills are very advanced for a high school player. He consistently manipulates quarterbacks into thinking there is vacant space and he understands the passing tree. So he’s able to create an illusion of something that isn’t there, which makes him disrupt so many passes he defends against.
“He plays well downhill and is not afraid of contact. His hands are very good and you can tell he’s been coached in that aspect since he was young.” — Ben Criddle, on Josh Wilson
“He also flows well to the football and takes really good angles. He knows how to wrap up and you don’t see him off-balance, and he keeps his pad level low. His butt and press technique is very good and he’s patient in finding holes. Even though he’s a bit shorter, he’s able to see the forest through the trees, just because he understands what he’s going against so well.
“He shows a multitude of techniques in getting off blocks, which I love. There’s not just one thing he does in avoiding blocks, which again is the sign of someone who has tremendous feel for the game, but also someone who has put in a ton of work.
“He plays well downhill and is not afraid of contact. His hands are very good and you can tell he’s been coached in that aspect since he was young. That is something which really stands out to me. His form tackling is pure and there wasn’t a better linebacker in the state last year than Josh Wilson.”
What former BYU player does he remind you of?
“You look at his body type and how he’s a football junkie and I see Brandon Ogletree. He has a similar attitude and work ethic as Brandon did, and they’re similar with their size and athleticism. They’re pit bulls.”
Can he contribute his first season and what is his upside?
“Because he’s coming to BYU so developed, the argument against him is that there’s not a lot of room to grow. I disagree with that, though, because of how hard of a worker he is and he’ll find ways to improve his game every year he’s at BYU.
“I see him contributing immediately on special teams and that needs to be a focus for him. BYU is deep at middle backer and the switch to the 4-2-5 may make it difficult for him to get into the rotation than otherwise. But I definitely see him as a big special teams contributor, but knowing his mentality, I tend to think he’ll compete for playing time on defense. He loves competition and isn’t afraid of it.
“I like him at middle backer. He seems like a natural there, but with his coverage skills, I could potentially see him switch to a strong safety-type, although he’ll need to work on his speed. He could make the switch, but considering his style of play and how he loves contact, I see him staying at middle linebacker and working hard to become a big-time contributor.”