Johnny Wilson details how Mike Norvell gave him confidence after entering transfer portal

The transfer portal has become a major part of how coaches build their rosters, but for every success story you hear there are players out who don’t have things play out like they anticipated. Florida State receiver Johnny Wilson is one of them.

After entering the NCAA transfer portal following his 2021 campaign at Arizona State, Wilson found himself waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

“When I entered the transfer portal I tried to reach out to schools,” Wilson said this week. “Nobody wanted me. I think probably one school, maybe like Oregon State wanted me to take a look at them.

“But I was at a point where it was like, ‘Dang, am I really not going to play football again?’ I don’t know, it was just surreal for that to happen, think I wasn’t even going to be playing anymore because nobody really wanted to take a shot on me.”

Finally a call that Wilson had hoped would materialize did.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell was on the other end. While others were hesitant to take a shot on an Arizona State wideout who had logged 18 catches for 243 yards and one touchdown in 2020 and 2021, Norvell was not.

“So when Norvell, coach Norvell, took my message and got in contact with me it was like regardless of what happens I’m coming here,” Wilson said. “I’m coming here. I saw an opportunity. Just got to talk to him about what this team could be, what this team is now and what I could bring to this team, what I could bring to this offense. It was great, so I just looked at it as a blessing I had another opportunity.”

Mike Norvell gave Johnny Wilson confidence

That phone call, especially coming after the unexpected silence, quickly shook Wilson from his nightmare. A wake-up call, the alarm clock ringing telling him to get back to work.

Everything Norvell did after only reinforced for Wilson that he was in the right spot. What he made of it from there was up to him.

“He’d seen from my size I can move pretty well,” Wilson said. “For me it was just like, just being able to let loose. Kind of previous spot it was like I couldn’t really show what I could do.

“Coming here, talking to him on the phone he said, ‘You’re going to get your opportunity to make plays. Only way you’re not going to be out there is if you do it to yourself. I really took that and was just like, ‘It’s you vs. you every day, don’t worry about anybody else.’ He told me, ‘Just focus on you and get better.'”

Five games into Florida State’s 2022 campaign, Johnny Wilson’s confidence has given the Seminoles someone they can rely on. He has made his snaps count, leading the team with 19 catches for 357 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

Wilson starting to emerge for FSU

The best part of the mutually beneficial relationship between Wilson and the Seminoles is that it looks like the real fun has just begun.

After logging just four catches in the first two weeks of the season, Wilson has recorded 15 in the last three weeks. He racked up seven catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-31 win over Louisville in mid-September. He also accounted for six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown last weekend in a 31-21 loss to Wake Forest.

Now, making a real influence at the college level, Wilson is just trying to keep it going.

“That’s the great thing about college football, you have a great game one week you’ve got to go back out and do it the next week, do the same thing,” he said. “For me I try to just block out the outside noise. We’ve got a main goal that we’re all trying to reach. One game isn’t going to do it, it’s a long season. So just try to come out every week and play my best and do my best to help the team win.”

Next up on the docket? A road trip this weekend for a night game at No. 14 NC State.

A few months ago, Wilson wasn’t sure whether he’d even be playing football still. He seems to have made peace with that part of his journey, though, especially now that things are on the right track again.

Johnny Wilson’s confidence is now back.

“Honestly I was… I don’t know, to me it was kind of like a blessing,” Wilson said.