Football Senior Salute: Jonathan Wilson
8/5/2020
Born and raised in the swamp land of southern Louisiana, Jonathan Wilson grew up knowing how to be an expert at three things: hunting, fishing and playing football. And quite possibly in that order.
Although he picked up football at an early age, hunting and fishing grew as his passions away from the field. Wilson enjoys hunting duck and… bow fishing? Wilson explains.
"You go at night and put a bunch of LED lights on the front of your boat," Wilson said. "You're in about three feet of water, and you can see the fish in the water – red fish, trout, sharks."
Sharks? "Yes, I've caught a shark," Wilson said.
On the field, the senior defensive lineman has run down and caught many quarterbacks and running backs in his four seasons. The Port Sulphur, La., native has accumulated 26 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and 100 tackles. Wilson, known for his blonde curly hair flowing out of his helmet, even has a touchdown to his credit, returning an interception 61 yards for a score his freshman season in 2016.
Get to Know: Jonathan Wilson
I started playing football… When I was six or seven years old, back in little league. My parents actually didn't want me to play. When I was younger, I was bigger than everyone else. They didn't want me to hurt anyone.
My inspiration to play football is… My mother, Idget. She's raised my siblings and me all of our lives.
When I'm not at practice, I'm… In the bayou fishing or hunting if I'm home.
My career aspirations are… To be a personal trainer. I also want to open a restaurant because I love to cook.
The No. 1 thing on my bucket list is… To go duck hunting in North Dakota.
My time at Memphis has been fun. I never thought I would move outside of Louisiana. It's been a good experience being away from home, meeting new people. My favorite memory is probably beating my brother two years in a row. He went to Tulane. It's something to brag about. Hopefully, I'll get to the NFL, but if not, I want to be a personal trainer, open a gym. I also want to open a restaurant because I love to cook.Jonathan Wilson in the Nov. 29 Memphis Game Day Program
