I remember where I was when Martez Wilson committed to play football at Illinois. There is only one other football commitment I can say that about (Arrelious Benn - my roommates in law school and I actually saved the video of Benn committing on our DVR for months - but I digress). Wilson was a “can’t miss” prospect. He was freakishly athletic and strong. A 5 star recruit who could have gone anywhere he wanted. He was going to be a pass rushing defensive end the likes of which had not graced Champaign since the days of Simeon Rice. There were some that considered him the most significant recruit of Ron Zook’s magical first few recruiting classes at Illinois.
And Martez Wilson had his “wow” moments. His freshman year, he was a gunner on the Illini punt team. Gunners are usually the fastest players on the team, so a linebacker/defensive end filling that role was astonishing. Wilson was called on, in limited circumstances, to rush the passer, but he struggled to grasp the intricacies of a college defense, whether at defensive end or linebacker. He seemed to struggle with concepts beyond, “get the quarterback.” But it was ok, we all assumed, because ‘Tez would figure it out. Just wait until his Sophomore year. He was going to make everyone forget about Ron Turner. He was going to bring back a defensive swagger not seen at Illinois since the mid 90s.
But his Sophomore year, Wilson struggled again. He made plays that took your breath away because he was so fast and so athletic, but he was often out of position. I remember watching Martez Wilson get torched in the opening game of his Sophomore year against Missouri. How could someone that fast, that athletic, that talented, look so out of place? And then, Wilson was involved in a far more serious altercation outside a Champaign bar, when he was stabbed. In the days after the stabbing, there was awful rhetoric being spewed at Wilson on Illinois message boards. People seemed to take this incident as further evidence of why Wilson would never live up to his limitless potential. But in the aftermath, we learned that Wilson was stabbed coming to the aid of a friend.
Wilson would end up missing his Junior season entirely as a result of neck surgery (he suffered a herniated disc in the season opener and would later receive a medical redshirt). It seemed that his potential would never be reached.
His (redshirt) Junior year, Martez Wilson was the starting middle linebacker on an Illinois defense that largely over achieved. With Corey Liuget, Wilson was the heart and soul of that defense. He ended the year at Illinois with a team leading 112 tackles, 4 sacks and an interception. The defense spurred the Illini to their first bowl win in 11 years.
Today, Martez Wilson made himself eligible for the NFL draft. He reportedly will earn his degree this May. So how will I remember Martez Wilson? I hope I will remember Martez Wilson, not for his early struggles, or as a player who never realized the full extent of his enormous potential, but rather for his tale of personal redemption. As he announced his intention to forego his final year of eligibility, Wilson said, “College has been a great experience, and I have matured greatly. I appreciate what I have now and I have been making good decisions.” If that is the case, then years from now, as we raise our glasses at Murphy’s Pub, and talk about the Illini of old, we will talk about Martez Wilson, who grew from a young, immature talent into a man in his four years in Champaign.
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