ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Though his parents are from St. Ignace and Kalamazoo, junior wide receiver Roman Wilson didn’t originally see himself at Michigan.
The former four-star from Honolulu got his first offer from his hometown school, Hawaii, but was an Oregon fan. The Ducks offered him after he stood out at a regional of Nike’s The Opening, winning the camp’s ‘fastest man’ award, suddenly, he found himself flooded with offers, including from the flagship school in Eugene.
But eventually Michigan came calling, and the coaching staff made such an impression on him that he ended up a Wolverine.
Jim Harbaugh recalled his recruitment, noting that his parents’ support certainly played a role in landing the speedy wideout.
“It really helped that both mom and dad had Michigan ties,” Harbaugh said. “Mom from the U.P. originally, same town as Barry Pierson, I believe — I think I’m right on that. She was a track runner. So that really helped.
“Roman was from Hawaii — I think it helped that the parents had Midwest ties. Just a great guy all the way around. Great competitor. Tough as nails. Love Roman. Great fit, Roman Wilson at Michigan. I always thought that was a great fit.”
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Wilson scored the first touchdown of the season for the Wolverines, a 61-yard catch-and-run. Thus far, through one game, he leads all receivers with 65 yards.
That, along with where he’s from, should certainly put him on the radar of Michigan’s upcoming opponent — Hawaii.
Yes, Wilson will be playing his hometown school on Saturday, when the Rainbow Warriors come to town. At the moment, Hawaii is struggling mightily, having been blown out in the two games it’s played thus far, against Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky. Now Hawaii has its most daunting task, playing a top 10 team in Michigan.
For Wilson, however, he’s just excited for the opportunity to play against a school he used to watch on a regular basis. Though Oregon was his preferred school of choice, the University of Hawaii does hold a special place in his heart.
“It means a whole lot. I know their head coach. I know Timmy Chang was a big inspiration for a lot of people growing up,” Wilson said. “I’ve grown up (watching) Colt Brennan. There’s a couple of receivers that I knew and I watched throughout the years. And I feel like when people go to their hometown, and they play there, it means so much of their community because you can look up and look at these role models in their life and realize that you can be like that, too.”
That said, Wilson is glad that he ended up in Ann Arbor, and that he gets the opportunity to play against Hawaii.
“Honestly, I just feel so blessed growing up, I never expected to, first of all, be at Michigan, and then being able to play my hometown (school),” Wilson said. “I just feel like it’s such a surreal moment. And I’m just so honored, to be honest.”
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