James Tyler Wilson (born August 16, 1989) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. Wilson is the all-time passing yards leader at the University of Arkansas. He was selected by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in the fourth round of the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. Wilson was also a member of the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Early life

Wilson graduated in 2008 from Greenwood High School in

Greenwood, Arkansas Greenwood is a city in and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is the fifth largest municipality in the Fort Smith metropolitan area with a population of 8,952 according to the 2010 US Census. According t ...

. Rivals.com ranked Wilson the no. 9 pro-style quarterback in the nation and no. 5 overall player in Arkansas.

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

rated Wilson as the eighth best quarterback recruit in the U.S. Wilson led Greenwood to its third straight state championship, second as the starting quarterback. In his two years as starter for the Greenwood Bulldogs, Wilson threw for over 8,000 yards with 93 touchdown passes. Wilson won the 2007 Landers Award as the state of Arkansas' top football player. He was selected as an all-conference and all-state performer. Also an outstanding baseball player, Wilson was named the

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

for 2007–08. He finished his senior campaign 11-0 and had a 1.42 ERA while striking out 92 batters in 64 innings. He batted .415 with four home runs, 14 doubles, and 30 RBI. He had a career record on the mound of 32–9 with 386 strike outs in 251.1 innings.

High school statistics

Recruiting

Source:

College career

While attending the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

, Wilson was a member of the

Arkansas Razorbacks football The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Arkansas Razorbacks, Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

team from 2008 to 2012. Finalizing his career at Arkansas Wilson set 29 school passing records. A recreation and sports management major, Wilson graduated from Arkansas in December 2012.

2008–2010

Wilson played in two games as a true freshman in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, completing 11-of-22 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Those two games were in consecutive weeks against Alabama and Texas. He missed the remainder of the season due to an illness and received a medical redshirt. In five games for Arkansas in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

as a redshirt freshman, Wilson finished the season 22-for-36 with 218 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He threw for a total of 138 yards on 13-of-19 passing and both touchdowns with an interception in the season opener against Missouri State. At

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, he completed 4-of-6 passes for 31 yards. His other action came in a victory over

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

where he went 5-of-11 for 49 yards with an interception. Wilson played in six games for the Razorbacks in his redshirt sophomore season of

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. He threw for 453 yards on 34-of-51 passing and four touchdowns with three interceptions. Wilson saw extensive playing time in a game at Auburn after Ryan Mallett suffered a concussion. He threw for 332 yards on 25-of-34 passing and four touchdowns with two interceptions in little over half the game. Wilson also saw action in a win against

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

. He threw for 71 yards on 3-of-5 passing while managing the offensive effectively. According to Scout.com, Wilson was rated as the No. 5 quarterback prospect for the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

's Todd Blackledge listed Wilson as the No. 1 replacement player to watch for the 2011 season.

2011

On August 25, 2011, Arkansas head coach

Bobby Petrino Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arkansas. He served as the head football coach at Missouri State from 2020 to 2022. P ...

named redshirt junior Wilson starting quarterback. In his first season as a starter, A team captain who started all 13 games, Wilson led Arkansas to an 11–2 record, which tied the school's single-season record for wins and the third season in school history to reach that number of wins. Wilson also became the first quarterback in Arkansas history to be named first-team All-SEC. Wilson finished the 2011 season 277-for-438 for 3,638 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions and became just the second quarterback in school history with over 3,000 single-season passing yards. He was a finalist for the

Manning Award The Manning Award has been presented annually since the 2004 football season to the collegiate American football quarterback as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States. It is the only quarterback award that inc ...

and

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassman quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievem ...

and semifinalist for the

Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...

. In the season-opening 51–7 win over Missouri State, Wilson completed 18 of 24 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns and followed that game with another outstanding offensive performance: 18-of-26 passing for 259 yards and one passing touchdown in addition to 48 rushing yards on five carries, in a 52–3 victory over

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. Wilson passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns while completing 23 of 36 passes in the 38–28 win over

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

. Wilson was named SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week after leading Arkansas to a 42–38 upset of No. 14

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

Cowboys Stadium AT&T Stadium is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the home of the Cotton Bowl Classic ...

. Rallying Arkansas from an 18-point halftime deficit, Wilson broke the Arkansas school record with 510 passing yards in completing 30 of 51 passes for three touchdowns. This was the fifth 500-yard passing game in SEC history and the first since 2001. In another big comeback victory, Wilson completed 13 of 28 passes for 232 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in a 29–24 win at

; Arkansas trailed by as many as 17. He completed 27 of 43 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown in a 31–28 win at Vanderbilt rallying from a 14-point deficit. Wilson made a career-long-tying 68-yard pass in the 44–28 win vs. No. 10

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and passed for three touchdowns in a 49–7 win vs.

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Wilson was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for completing a school record 32 passes, including three touchdowns, in the 44–17 victory vs.

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

. For completing 20 of 31 passes for 216 yards and tow touchdowns, Wilson was Offensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl, a 29–16 win for No. 6 Arkansas over No. 9 Kansas State. Arkansas finished the 2011 season ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll, the program's first top-five finish since 1977.

2012

Wilson had 11 starts as a senior in 2012. He finished the season 249-of-401 passing for 3,387 yards and 21 touchdowns. He broke the Arkansas single-season record with five 350-yard pass games and was a finalist for the

and the SEC Community Service Team. With an average of 307.9 passing yards, Wilson led the SEC and ranked 10th in Division I FBS in passing yards per game and ranked second in the conference and 15th in Division I FBS with an average of 308.5 yards of total offense per game. In the season-opening 49–24 win over Jacksonville State, Wilson completed 19 of 27 passes for 367 passing yards and three touchdowns. In a 49–7 victory over

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, Wilson tied the Arkansas single-game record with five passing touchdowns and tied for third for single-game touchdowns. He broke the Arkansas single-game record for total plays with 62 and pass attempts (59) in a 58–10 loss to

. He was 11-of-20 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the first half vs. Louisiana–Monroe before being forced to sit out the second half due to injury; he would miss the next week's game against

as well. In the 38–20 loss to No. 12

, Wilson broke the Arkansas record for career completions. He ended his career with a 31-of-52 passing performance for 359 yards, breaking the UA career passing yards record, and one touchdown while rushing for a season-high 38 yards on nine carries in a 20–13 loss to No. 8

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. Wilson had a 4–7 record as a starter in 2012, despite Arkansas beginning the season ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll. Following the season he was selected to play in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, where he was 8-of-11 passing, leading the South Team in completions, for 40 yards as the South earned a 21–16 win.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Before the 2012 college football season, Wilson was projected as the No. 1 pick in the

by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''.

Oakland Raiders

Despite setting a number of school records in his senior season, Wilson's draft status fell. He was taken in the fourth round by the

with the 112th pick in the

. After a promising early start in Oakland he was projected to compete with Raiders quarterbacks

Matt Flynn Matt or Matthew Flynn may refer to: * Matt Flynn (American football) (born 1985), American football player * Matt Flynn (Australian footballer) (born 1997), Australian rules footballer * Matt Flynn (politician) (born 1947), American politician * ...

and Terrelle Pryor for playing time in 2013. Wilson was the highest drafted member of the 2013 NFL class to not make his team's opening day roster after dropping to 4th string behind Matt McGloin, but was signed to the Raiders' practice squad a day later. Mid-season he was activated onto the Raiders active roster and played the role of back up the remainder of the season.

Tennessee Titans

On December 17, 2013, Wilson was signed by the

. On August 6, 2014, Wilson was released.

Cincinnati Bengals

On August 9, 2014, Wilson was signed by the

. He appeared in two preseason games and completed a combined 10 of 18 passes with 1 passing touchdown and accounting for another scoring drive. Despite having some success in short order, he was waived during final cuts on August 29, 2014.

References

External links

Tyler Wilson
on Twitter
Tennessee Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Tyler 1989 births Living people American football quarterbacks Arkansas Razorbacks football players Cincinnati Bengals players Oakland Raiders players People from Greenwood, Arkansas Players of American football from Arkansas Tennessee Titans players American real estate brokers