Florida State will be without one of its best players when it takes on Georgia in the upcoming Orange Bowl.
Wide receiver Johnny Wilson announced that he will be heading to the NFL draft and opting out of the Orange Bowl, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Wilson was Flordia State’s No. 2 wide receiver this season, catching 41 passes for 617 yards and 2 touchdowns. He did miss three games due to injury but at 6-foot-7, he’s proven to be a major problem for opposing secondaries.
Wilson is seen as a top-100 prospect in the upcoming NFL draft. He is not the only talented pro prospect on Florida State’s roster that will weigh their NFL futures. Defensive end Jared Verse and wide receiver Keon Coleman are seen as potential first-round picks in the upcoming NFL draft.
Georgia will have its own players to monitor as well, with Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Amarius Mims and Kamari Lassiter all seen as top-tier NFL draft prospects. Bowers, McConkey and Mims are all also dealing with injuries that impacted them in the SEC championship loss to Alabama.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is accustomed to dealing with opt-outs in New Year’s Six bowl games. The Georgia head coach spoke about the process and team buy-in that comes next.
“We’re going to go compete. We’re going to go practice. We’re going to have our practices and get after it, after a long, tough, grueling year with a championship week on top of it,” Smart said. “This is what we’re going to do. We’re going to practice this many times. You’re going to buy into it or not. That is how teams win. It is how you win, is be committed to the calls, be all in on it. If you’re wondering or trying to decide then you probably don’t need to.
“That forces you to play some younger kids. Especially with the timing of the portal now, people really don’t understand what’s going on in college football right now. So with the timing of that and the ramp-up of the number of kids entering in general, you can’t even play the game without playing some new faces.”
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