Micah Wilson wanted to win MU’s QB job from Kelly Bryant. Now Bryant is throwing to him

As Micah Wilson made the drive from his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma in January for the start of Missouri’s spring semester, he wasn’t expecting to line up anywhere on the field but under center when spring football practices started.

Wilson had just spent his break after the Tigers’ loss in the Liberty Bowl training for the position and expected to compete with former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant for the starting job.

Then reality hit, when offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Derek Dooley told Wilson the cold-hard truth in a team meeting a few days later: Bryant would be getting all the first-team reps this spring.

A quarterback his whole life and unwilling to leave MU, Wilson asked Dooley to move him to wide receiver, because he thought he could help the team the most as a pass-catcher than anywhere else. Wilson has spent the spring learning his new position and was the last one off the field after Tuesday’s practice, getting in extra work with backup quarterback Taylor Powell.

“It’s a sensitive deal because only quarterback can play at a time,” Dooley said. “It’s rare you see three five-star quarterbacks sign with one school. The important thing was to be real open and honest during the process.”

Aside from Bryant, Missouri had also landed TCU transfer Shawn Robinson in December and had signee Connor Bazelak coming in the summer to join fellow backups Lindsey Scott Jr., Powell, Jack Lowary and Wison. Lowary has since moved to a student assistant role, but that didn’t alter MU’s depth at quarterback.

Wilson said he wasn’t thinking about what Bryant and Robinson’s commitments meant for him in the moment, because Missouri was in the middle of bowl practices. Wilson was ready to compete with Bryant to be the Tigers’ starting quarterback, but Dooley’s message was absolute.

“Once it went down with Kelly, I knew it was going to be a competition and I was ready for it,” Wilson said. “Once I talked to Coach Dooley, that 1 spot was really locked down.”

With quarterback crossed off, wideout made the most sense for Wilson. He had already experimented at the position during 2018 spring practices. He’s also known for his speed, and already knew the position’s responsibilities from playing quarterback in Dooley’s offense.

A track runner his junior year of high school, Wilson said his 40-yard dash time was 4.50 seconds the last time he was timed, but added it had been a few years. As a backup in 2017, Wilson played behind Drew Lock in garbage time and showed a keen ability to scramble for extra yards. He rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown in 2017 as a redshirt freshman.

Wilson’s knowledge of the offense has helped him adjust quicker. But wideouts coach Garrick McGee said Wilson still needs to learn route-running, tracking the ball in the air and using angles to his advantage, which are all key to the position.

“He knows where (he’s) supposed to run,” McGee said. “He doesn’t have any idea how to get there yet.

“I think he’ll be a factor for us.”

Wilson said his other biggest hurdle at the position has been conditioning. As a quarterback, he usually stayed in the pocket, except for the few times he had to scramble for yards. Wideouts sprint downfield each play, regardless of where the ball is going, only to repeat the action the following play.

To combat that, he’s tried to slim down his frame and keep a closer eye on his diet, but still finds himself around 215 pounds, his usual playing weight.

While Wilson considers the move to wide receiver permanent, he hasn’t ruled out throwing passes again at his current position.

Wilson, whose father Curtis was an offensive lineman at Mizzou in the late 1980s, has watched the Tigers his whole life and remembers former coach Gary Pinkel utilizing the double-pass during his time at MU.

The play, coined the “Colt-45” in Pinkel’s playbook, was famously used by wideouts T.J. Moe in the 2011 Independence Bowl against North Carolina, and Bud Sasser at Georgia in 2013. It hasn’t been called during Barry Odom’s tenure, but Wilson said it’s due for a comeback.

“I haven’t brought it up,” Wilson said. “But, it only makes sense. We’ll see.”