Russell Wilson is a College Football Free Agent

Russell Wilson is an exceptional athlete. As a quarterback for North Carolina State, he was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2008. Last season, he was the ACC's offensive player of the year as a junior. In addition to his success on the gridiron, Wilson is similarly impressive on the baseball diamond. Wilson doubles as a minor league baseball player in the summer, playing for the Class A Asheville (NC) Tourists in the Colorado Rockies farm system. His commitment to football is limited until the minor league baseball season ends in September. This year, with a veteran team returning to NC State and a talented veteran backup quarterback, Wolfpack head coach Tom O'Brien decided that it would be best for Wilson and the program to go their separate ways. He apparantly did not want to risk tampering with the chemistry that the team was developing without Wilson. O'Brien will turn to highly touted junior quarterback Mike Glennon (brother of former Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon) to lead his team. The story gets intriguing here. Wilson will focus on baseball for now, but he still intends to play college football this season. Now with one year of eligibility remaining, one the best quarterbacks in college football is effectively a free agent. Wilson has not made a decision on where he will play his final year of college football, but when he does, a team in need of a quarterback will become exponentially better. Wilson is not allowed to join an ACC team, and cannot join a team that plays NC State during their non-conference schedule (this rules out Liberty, South Alabama, Central Michigan, and Cincinnati). That means big time schools with quarterback concerns such as UCLA, Auburn, South Carolina, and California will all be willing to take Russell whenever he's ready to suit up. Getting an All-American quarterback a week into the season is better than not having one at all. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out.



This type of situation is not totally unfamiliar to Wolfpack fans. Before the 2006 season, the NC State basketball team lost talented center Andrew Brackman to the New York Yankees. Brackman, a pitcher, is still trying to break out of the minors. However, he is still generally regarded as an eventual major leaguer.

UFL Draft Gives Undrafted Free Agents Opportunity to Play Ball

The UFL recently held what will likely be its most important draft ever. With the NFL lockout restricting teams from signing undrafted rookies, the UFL may very well have selected from the deepest talent pool that will ever come their way. Many players who would have been on their way to NFL training camp as "RFAs" during any other off-season will be suiting up in the UFL this year. The fledgling league, now entering it's third year will have an impressive influx of talent for this season at least, and will likely be very entertaining to watch. The UFL stands to be a big winner if the lockout continues, but if the NFL does resume operations soon, the league has announced that it will allow rookies to "transfer" leagues without penalty (the league charges a $25,000 fee to those who void their UFL contracts to play in the NFL). This consideration is a positive step in the direction of the UFL possibly becoming a developmental league for the NFL in the future. Here is a list of notable college football players that will be calling the UFL home for atleast one season as of now. 


The Best of the UFL 2011 Drafted Rookie Class
#1 Jerrod Johnson, QB - Texas A&M
#3 Ryan Colburn, QB - Fresno State
#8 Ugo Chinasa, DE - Oklahoma State
#21 Clint Ingram, LB - Oklahoma
#24 Spencer Paysinger - Oregon
#38 Jeremiah Masoli - Ole Miss
#43 Derrick Locke - Kentucky [pictured]
#45 Derek Divine, QB - Marshall
#46 Mario Fanin, RB - Auburn
#49 Keanemana Silva, S - Hawaii
#51 Mark Herzlich, LB - Boston College
#52 Jeff Maehl, WR - Oregon

The Latavious Williams Story

Latavious Williams was once a top prospect coming out of Starkville Mississippi, but after he realized that he would likely be declared academically ineligible to play during his freshman year of college, he took an untraveled path to the NBA - Williams went to the NBA Developmental League. ESPN's Outside the Lines tells Williams' story and poses the question of whether or not this is a viable option for players that wish to avoid the NBA's "year removed from high school" rule in regards to the NBA Draft.

God's Gift Achiuwa (Yup, That's His Real Name)

God's Gift Achiuwa was one of the more intriguing prospects coming out of junior college this year. A large part of the intrigue was based on his unusual name, but the 22 points and 12 rebounds he averaged at Erie Community College (Buffalo, NY) didnt hurt either. Now the 6'9 post player will take his game to New York City after committing to play for the St. John's Red Storm. "Gift", as he is referred to by his teammates, sat down for an interview with ESPN's First Take earlier this week.