Garrett Wilson: From Lake Travis to the NFL.

Credit: Scarlet and Game

From the Beginning

Growing up, Garrett Wilson has always been an individual that not only exuded immense talent as a football player but also a strong sense of determination to make himself stand out among his peers. Wilson’s path began when he was born in Chicago, Illinois where spend the first five years of his life in the Windy City. Wilson’s family eventually decided to move to Dublin, Ohio, a move that was the foundation for his love for the game of football. While Garrett was limited to flag football he fully embraced his love for the sport and was something he instantly wanted to be attached too. After spending 7 years in Ohio, Garrett (12 at the time) and his family decided to move to the football rich town of Austin, Texas as his fathers job required the family to move to a new state. It is in Austin where Wilson was noticed by his future high school football coach for Lake Travis High School Hank Carter.

For this story, I had the honor of talking to Hank Carter himself about his experiences coaching Garrett at Lake Travis High School and how his determination and character has led him to the success he is seeing today. Mr. Carter was nice with his time and has allowed me to share my conversation with him in this story in order to highlight his perspective on the traits and characteristics that makes Garrett as successful as he is today.

Hank Carter: Current Head Football Coach / Athletic Director at Lake Travis High School

Credit: Lake Travis High School Football

A Memorable First Impression

Hank Carter can remember the first time he saw Garrett Wilson and how special he would become. It was at a local middle school 7 on 7 football tournament where Garrett Wilson (a 6th grader at the time) was naturally outmatching any cornerback that tried to match up with him. Despite playing the quarterback position, Carter already noticed Garrett’s high level ability as a receiver to confidently run past cornerbacks and routinely catch 50-50 balls against the opposition. One successful rep after another, Carter couldn’t help but watch Wilson’s natural athletic ability as a football player at such an early age. It was after another one of Garrett’s successful reps where he decided to display his athletic ability by dunking the football over a goalpost in celebration. It was in this exciting moment where Carter knew how Garrett was not only a good athlete but also a “very engaging and charismatic individual.”

Making an Early Impact

It wouldn’t take long for Garrett to gain the trust of Carter and the Lake Travis football program. Coming in as a freshman wide receiver, Carter described that he couldn’t help but notice Garrett’s nuance and hand eye coordination at the receiver position everyday in practice and knew that he had the skillset to succeed early in his high school career. Despite Wilson being a freshman at the time Carter was confident to let him practice with the varsity team on a daily basis and had no doubt including Wilson in the varsity receiver rotation. Despite the limited production in Wilson’s freshman year Carter held his belief in the rising freshman stating that what made him special was his “ambition to compete and improve on a daily basis.” This ambition would come to fruition in Wilson’s sophomore year as he would start in all 15 varsity games recording 53 receptions, 699 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Not only would Wilson begin to establish himself as a top receiver after his sophomore year on the football field but would also showcase his supreme athleticism as a basketball player and track runner. While many were surprised how Wilson could excel as a three sport athlete at such a young age it was no surprise to Carter. His additional role as an athletic director for the high school gave him the opportunity to watch him excel at a variety of sports. Carter would state that “He had the opportunity and talent to play any sport at the professional level, that’s how athletic and talented he was.”

Leaving a Special Legacy

As Wilson concluded a successful career at Lake Travis as a consensus 5 star receiver prospect and solidified Ohio State commit, there is one memory in particular that Hank Carter will always remember when thinking about his time with Garrett Wilson. During a routine practice Carter described how in an attempt to re - adjust and come back for an underthrown pass Wilson ended up suffering a stress fracture in his back after coming down with the ball. With most stress fracture back injuries resulting in a player stepping away from any contact related activities indefinitely Carter described that Wilson insisted that he stayed on the field not only to finish practice but also to play in the upcoming game. Reflecting upon that moment Carter knew that Wilson was different from most football players stating that “Garrett thrives in competition, while most players would shut it down he kept playing and wanted to compete.”

Credit: MaxPreps

Wilson’s talent paired with his unique toughness paved a path for a successful career as an Ohio State Buckeye. Through his three years in Columbus, Wilson finished with 143 receptions, 2,213 yards, and 23 touchdowns. Leaving Ohio State and declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft, Wilson has been regarded by many as the top receiver in the draft class and is undoubtedly the top receiver in Hank Carter’s mind.

Credit: College Films

A Bright Future

With the 2022 NFL Draft soon approaching, Garrett Wilson’s dreams of being a first round draft pick and playing in the NFL are soon going to be a reality. As Hank Carter reflects on his time coaching Garrett Wilson, he can’t help but reiterate the good times he had with him and the countless memories he will cherish of him playing at Lake Travis. Along with these positive experiences Carter passionately concludes the interview stating that when going to the NFL “Garrett Wilson is someone that brings a unique brand of competitiveness and an individual that has always risen to the occasion when called upon.”

Credit: Panini America