N.C. State still wants to claim Russell Wilson as its own, especially now that he’s a Super-Bowl-winning quarterback.
N.C. State defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen tweeted a picture of some Wilson memorabilia that had been added to the N.C. State trophy case.
Check out the new addition to the trophy case.#SuperBowlXLVIII pic.twitter.com/mjLrJkXpxQ
— Ryan Nielsen (@CoachRNielsen) February 18, 2014
Let’s be honest, this is just a random Wilson Super Bowl jersey and helmet the school could have picked up anywhere. It’s not autographed and other than the jersey bearing Wilson’s name, there’s seems to be no evidence that Wilson went out of his way to get N.C. State this gear. It's an item that any fan could have placed in their trophy case.
Wilson’s struggles with N.C. State are well documented. He played at N.C. State from 2007-2010 and led the Wolfpack to a 9-4 season and a win in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl.
However, following that season, Wilson decided to join the Colorado Rockies for spring training, which didn’t sit well with former N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien. The rift became so big that Wilson asked for and was granted his release.
Wilson ended up at Wisconsin where he set the single season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8) and led the team to a Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl.
For the most part, Wilson claims Wisconsin as his college even though he spent just one season there.
Still, that hasn’t stopped N.C. State from trying to use Wilson’s fame as a recruiting tool. It will be interesting to see what Wisconsin does in response.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!Follow @YahooDrSaturday