I had a chance to speak with one of the great coaches in South Florida, Chad Wilson. Wilson is the defensive coordinator for the University School Suns, who took home the Class 3A State Title with a comeback victory over Madison County on Saturday.
Wilson played cornerback at the University of Miami from 1992-94 and is also the father of 2014 CB Quincy Wilson, who is one of the top players in the country for his class.
We were able to discuss all thing South Florida high school football, including U-School’s state title run, his son Quincy, and Chad’s website, gridironstuds.com.
Q: Talk about how it feels to be a state champion.
A: It feels great. It’s a goal we’ve had for quite some time now after falling short a couple years ago. We felt all the pain of that and really felt we had the team to win it all last year, but came up short in the playoffs. I’m very happy for the kids, coaches, and everybody who put so much time into making this happen.
Q: How did you guys get to this point so quickly as such a new program?
A: You have to give a lot of credit to the Head Coach, Roger Harriot. He had a vision in mind, which I don’t know if it was really to win a state championship, but to use the game of football to mentor kids. That’s something he really believes in and he surrounded himself with coaches who believe the same thing. If you take care of those things, then the football part really takes care of itself. I don’t want to diminish what we do as coaches from the Xs-and-Os standpoint, but it’s more than just moving players around on the field. It’s about coaching them off the field and there’s so much more that goes into it than what people see when they turn the TV on.
Q: How were the coaches able to keep the team focused throughout the playoffs even though you guys were considered favorites?
A: That was probably the most difficult part of it. We started with a 27-0 blowout, and then went on to the game that everyone called the ‘State Championship’ and we were able to triumph there. Winning the state championship is definitely not easy and I can say that now that we’re here. It was difficult to keep them focused after beating American Heritage Delray and heading into the game with Madison County because everyone was saying we were gonna kill this team, but I was looking at the film thinking this is a physical team and they do a good job of accomplishing what they want to do. What people were saying and what I say on film didn’t match up, so it was hard. I also have to give credit to Madison County’s coaching staff because they did a really good job of getting those kids prepared to play and almost pulled off the upset.
Q: What separates the players from South Florida as opposed to anywhere else in the country?
A: Aside from the obvious, the talent, which is a function of the weather and the ethnic make-up of the people down here, the other thing is that football is played from a very early age down here and is very serious. With the weather, we have the advantage of playing year round, and like anything if you make it your focus you will be good at it.
Q: Who are some of the players you were impressed with this season?
A: From what I’ve been able to observe, Alex Collins at the running back position had an extremely good season and he’s a guy who had a lot of hype coming in so it’s it was impressive especially when you’re a running back where all eyes are on you. I don’t wanna take anything away from South Plantation, but there not a team that’s loaded so he goes into every game and everybody is game-planning for him. Sony came back from his injury and had a very good season. Greg Bryant is a great back and I can certainly attest to that. He’s another one where everyone is geared up for him. You gotta like at what our quarterback Mike White did this year. He only had one year to get it done, but if he were a junior going into his senior year, he’d be one of the top prospects. Jordan Cunningham has been at it since his freshman year. Stacy Coley is great, I mean I can go on all day about great players because on our team alone there’s 15 players with Division-1 football offers. To go through a list of kids just in Broward, I would keep you on the phone far past the battery life on this cell phone.
Q: Talk about Maquedius Bain as a prospect.
A: Maquedius Bain has the size and athletic ability that colleges covet. Instantly, he becomes a prospect just by seeing him. He’s a prospect that’s only going to get better and better because he’s still newer to football and he has a lot more physical talent than most guys have. He can fluctuate anywhere between 280 and 300 pounds and he has a basketball background, which shows his athleticism. He’s a very humble individual. He spent the entire offseason being recruited as a top defensive tackle, but he was needed as an offensive tackle and didn’t bat an eye and went over to play the position and played it well.
Q: Talk about Jordan Cunningham as a prospect.
A: He’s been doing this since freshman year. He had an awesome sophomore year and went to the state championship game and had 3 touchdowns. He had a great year last year and now again this season. You have to be impressed with what he’s done year-by-year. Anyone can come out and just have one good season, but this kid has gone out and gotten the job done year after year. You can sum up Jordan Cunningham in that one catch he had yesterday in the state championship game. When you need a play, he’s going to come up and make that play. He has a tremendous amount of inner strength, is very humble, and is a professional.
Q: Talk about Skai Moore as a prospect.
A: I gave all these kids on the defense ‘superhero names,’ and his was ‘Superman’ because he can do it all. I can line him up at corner, and you’re not throwing it to the kid he’s on. I can put his hand on the ground and they probably wouldn’t be able to block him. He played linebacker all year and it’s tough to run on him, he can sack you on a blitz. He’s an outstanding prospect and has a bright future wherever he ends up. I see him as another Ryan Shazier, who’s up at Ohio State from Plantation. The sky’s the limit for him, no pun intended.
Q: Talk about some of the underclassmen who you think people should pay attention to.
A: Quincy has really blossomed into an incredible prospect. I have to downplay it as his father and a coach on the team, but just being honest and real as I separate myself from the situation, he’s 6’2, 200 pounds and runs a 4.4 forty. He’s just an explosive player and works hard. He has tremendous cover skills and locks onto whoever we ask him to. In practice, I have him on Jordan (Cunningham) so that the offense doesn’t have their way. He looks like he could be able to step onto the field as a freshman and get some legit playing time. We know about Jordan Scarlett. Rashard Causey (2015 CB) has some more development to do, but he really made strides this year and got a lot of playing time. Another player you have to look at is Brandon Boyce (2015). He played Nose Guard for us this year and he’s an absolute beast. People will know about him within the next two years. He was just a handful for teams to deal with so he definitely has a bright future ahead of him. Sam Bruce (2016) is one to keep an eye on. He’s very explosive and comes from good pedigree. He reminds me of another MacGarrett Kings if you wanna compare him to somebody. Emannuel Soto (2014 WR) came up big in the game yesterday. It took a while for him to get adjusted to University School, but he gave everyone a taste of what he’s going to bring to the party next year. He’s a great route runner and makes the big catch when you need one.
Q: If I had to guess, I’d say you’re Quincy’s biggest critic. What are some things you two will be working on in the offseason to continue to help him improve?
A: There’s not a whole bunch of holes there because we’ve worked so hard on tightening things up, but I’ve always talked to him about being a complete prospect. This whole offseason is just going to be a whole lot of improving on everything. His coverage is great, but let’s make it the best. His ball skills are great, but let’s make it so that you make every play that comes your way. For him, it was all about getting a full year of cornerback under his belt and seeing how things look from that position on the field because it’s the first time he’s really done it. Last year, he was a free safety all year long and then the last game of the season, I switched him and the kid who was at corner because that kid told me he felt really comfortable at free safety and I had been thinking about moving Quincy to cornerback. So he really only played three games at that spot before this season because it was the last game and the two playoff games. Having played the position, I know it will slow down for him and plays you almost made before, he will make. He could have had 7 or 8 picks this season with an inch here or there, but he’s just gonna have to come back next season and make ‘em pay whenever they test you. I grew up idolizing Deion Sanders and I talk to Quincy about him all the time. They didn’t throw that guys way a whole lot, but when they did, he made them pay. If they threw two balls his way all game, he was going to pick at least one of them for sure and probably run it back for a touchdown. I just imagine he will be a lot more comfortable there next year and make more of the plays he’s supposed to. He just has to work on getting faster because you can never have enough speed, getting stronger, and something we’re going to work on is really knowing the game of football inside-and-out. If he can know it like I do, then he can be the best prospect in the country.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your website, gridironstuds.com, for those who may be unfamiliar with it?
A: Gridironstuds is a website I started back in 2009, when I was a coach at Archbishop McCarthy High School. I had a couple seniors who I thought were pretty good players, but they didn’t really have any fanfare or schools going after them so I had opened up a YouTube account and put their highlight tapes out there and contacted some coaches I knew and got their film to them. Unfortunately for them at the time I did it, it was a little late in the process for them so they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, but I was able to generate some buzz for them and all those kids went onto college. I said to myself that I could maybe do this for some other kids that were coming up and some other kids I knew so I started the website and set it up so that a kid could go on their and make a profile of their own, put their video up with all their information so that college coaches can go on there and check it out an help their recruiting process. I thought it would be something to help just local kids, but then suddenly kids from Georgia, New York, Texas, Hawai’i, California, and all over the place started putting their videos up there and it really blossomed into a great tool for kids and coaches to use. It also allows youth football videos on there, so it’s cool for people who enjoy youth football to go on there and look at kids all over the country. I had no idea football was so big in Hawai’i. The quarterback at Oregon, Marcus Mariota, was one of the first kids to put a video on there. Tavon Austin, Jeff Luc, and Lamar Miller, who’s now in the pros, and Reuben Randle too were all on there. It’s going to be cool when there’s a youth kid on there who goes onto high school, college, and then into the NFL. It’s really just a great thing that has taken a life of its own.
Wilson played cornerback at the University of Miami from 1992-94 and is also the father of 2014 CB Quincy Wilson, who is one of the top players in the country for his class.
We were able to discuss all thing South Florida high school football, including U-School’s state title run, his son Quincy, and Chad’s website, gridironstuds.com.
Q: Talk about how it feels to be a state champion.
A: It feels great. It’s a goal we’ve had for quite some time now after falling short a couple years ago. We felt all the pain of that and really felt we had the team to win it all last year, but came up short in the playoffs. I’m very happy for the kids, coaches, and everybody who put so much time into making this happen.
Q: How did you guys get to this point so quickly as such a new program?
A: You have to give a lot of credit to the Head Coach, Roger Harriot. He had a vision in mind, which I don’t know if it was really to win a state championship, but to use the game of football to mentor kids. That’s something he really believes in and he surrounded himself with coaches who believe the same thing. If you take care of those things, then the football part really takes care of itself. I don’t want to diminish what we do as coaches from the Xs-and-Os standpoint, but it’s more than just moving players around on the field. It’s about coaching them off the field and there’s so much more that goes into it than what people see when they turn the TV on.
Q: How were the coaches able to keep the team focused throughout the playoffs even though you guys were considered favorites?
A: That was probably the most difficult part of it. We started with a 27-0 blowout, and then went on to the game that everyone called the ‘State Championship’ and we were able to triumph there. Winning the state championship is definitely not easy and I can say that now that we’re here. It was difficult to keep them focused after beating American Heritage Delray and heading into the game with Madison County because everyone was saying we were gonna kill this team, but I was looking at the film thinking this is a physical team and they do a good job of accomplishing what they want to do. What people were saying and what I say on film didn’t match up, so it was hard. I also have to give credit to Madison County’s coaching staff because they did a really good job of getting those kids prepared to play and almost pulled off the upset.
Q: What separates the players from South Florida as opposed to anywhere else in the country?
A: Aside from the obvious, the talent, which is a function of the weather and the ethnic make-up of the people down here, the other thing is that football is played from a very early age down here and is very serious. With the weather, we have the advantage of playing year round, and like anything if you make it your focus you will be good at it.
Q: Who are some of the players you were impressed with this season?
A: From what I’ve been able to observe, Alex Collins at the running back position had an extremely good season and he’s a guy who had a lot of hype coming in so it’s it was impressive especially when you’re a running back where all eyes are on you. I don’t wanna take anything away from South Plantation, but there not a team that’s loaded so he goes into every game and everybody is game-planning for him. Sony came back from his injury and had a very good season. Greg Bryant is a great back and I can certainly attest to that. He’s another one where everyone is geared up for him. You gotta like at what our quarterback Mike White did this year. He only had one year to get it done, but if he were a junior going into his senior year, he’d be one of the top prospects. Jordan Cunningham has been at it since his freshman year. Stacy Coley is great, I mean I can go on all day about great players because on our team alone there’s 15 players with Division-1 football offers. To go through a list of kids just in Broward, I would keep you on the phone far past the battery life on this cell phone.
Q: Talk about Maquedius Bain as a prospect.
A: Maquedius Bain has the size and athletic ability that colleges covet. Instantly, he becomes a prospect just by seeing him. He’s a prospect that’s only going to get better and better because he’s still newer to football and he has a lot more physical talent than most guys have. He can fluctuate anywhere between 280 and 300 pounds and he has a basketball background, which shows his athleticism. He’s a very humble individual. He spent the entire offseason being recruited as a top defensive tackle, but he was needed as an offensive tackle and didn’t bat an eye and went over to play the position and played it well.
Q: Talk about Jordan Cunningham as a prospect.
A: He’s been doing this since freshman year. He had an awesome sophomore year and went to the state championship game and had 3 touchdowns. He had a great year last year and now again this season. You have to be impressed with what he’s done year-by-year. Anyone can come out and just have one good season, but this kid has gone out and gotten the job done year after year. You can sum up Jordan Cunningham in that one catch he had yesterday in the state championship game. When you need a play, he’s going to come up and make that play. He has a tremendous amount of inner strength, is very humble, and is a professional.
Q: Talk about Skai Moore as a prospect.
A: I gave all these kids on the defense ‘superhero names,’ and his was ‘Superman’ because he can do it all. I can line him up at corner, and you’re not throwing it to the kid he’s on. I can put his hand on the ground and they probably wouldn’t be able to block him. He played linebacker all year and it’s tough to run on him, he can sack you on a blitz. He’s an outstanding prospect and has a bright future wherever he ends up. I see him as another Ryan Shazier, who’s up at Ohio State from Plantation. The sky’s the limit for him, no pun intended.
Q: Talk about some of the underclassmen who you think people should pay attention to.
A: Quincy has really blossomed into an incredible prospect. I have to downplay it as his father and a coach on the team, but just being honest and real as I separate myself from the situation, he’s 6’2, 200 pounds and runs a 4.4 forty. He’s just an explosive player and works hard. He has tremendous cover skills and locks onto whoever we ask him to. In practice, I have him on Jordan (Cunningham) so that the offense doesn’t have their way. He looks like he could be able to step onto the field as a freshman and get some legit playing time. We know about Jordan Scarlett. Rashard Causey (2015 CB) has some more development to do, but he really made strides this year and got a lot of playing time. Another player you have to look at is Brandon Boyce (2015). He played Nose Guard for us this year and he’s an absolute beast. People will know about him within the next two years. He was just a handful for teams to deal with so he definitely has a bright future ahead of him. Sam Bruce (2016) is one to keep an eye on. He’s very explosive and comes from good pedigree. He reminds me of another MacGarrett Kings if you wanna compare him to somebody. Emannuel Soto (2014 WR) came up big in the game yesterday. It took a while for him to get adjusted to University School, but he gave everyone a taste of what he’s going to bring to the party next year. He’s a great route runner and makes the big catch when you need one.
Q: If I had to guess, I’d say you’re Quincy’s biggest critic. What are some things you two will be working on in the offseason to continue to help him improve?
A: There’s not a whole bunch of holes there because we’ve worked so hard on tightening things up, but I’ve always talked to him about being a complete prospect. This whole offseason is just going to be a whole lot of improving on everything. His coverage is great, but let’s make it the best. His ball skills are great, but let’s make it so that you make every play that comes your way. For him, it was all about getting a full year of cornerback under his belt and seeing how things look from that position on the field because it’s the first time he’s really done it. Last year, he was a free safety all year long and then the last game of the season, I switched him and the kid who was at corner because that kid told me he felt really comfortable at free safety and I had been thinking about moving Quincy to cornerback. So he really only played three games at that spot before this season because it was the last game and the two playoff games. Having played the position, I know it will slow down for him and plays you almost made before, he will make. He could have had 7 or 8 picks this season with an inch here or there, but he’s just gonna have to come back next season and make ‘em pay whenever they test you. I grew up idolizing Deion Sanders and I talk to Quincy about him all the time. They didn’t throw that guys way a whole lot, but when they did, he made them pay. If they threw two balls his way all game, he was going to pick at least one of them for sure and probably run it back for a touchdown. I just imagine he will be a lot more comfortable there next year and make more of the plays he’s supposed to. He just has to work on getting faster because you can never have enough speed, getting stronger, and something we’re going to work on is really knowing the game of football inside-and-out. If he can know it like I do, then he can be the best prospect in the country.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your website, gridironstuds.com, for those who may be unfamiliar with it?
A: Gridironstuds is a website I started back in 2009, when I was a coach at Archbishop McCarthy High School. I had a couple seniors who I thought were pretty good players, but they didn’t really have any fanfare or schools going after them so I had opened up a YouTube account and put their highlight tapes out there and contacted some coaches I knew and got their film to them. Unfortunately for them at the time I did it, it was a little late in the process for them so they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, but I was able to generate some buzz for them and all those kids went onto college. I said to myself that I could maybe do this for some other kids that were coming up and some other kids I knew so I started the website and set it up so that a kid could go on their and make a profile of their own, put their video up with all their information so that college coaches can go on there and check it out an help their recruiting process. I thought it would be something to help just local kids, but then suddenly kids from Georgia, New York, Texas, Hawai’i, California, and all over the place started putting their videos up there and it really blossomed into a great tool for kids and coaches to use. It also allows youth football videos on there, so it’s cool for people who enjoy youth football to go on there and look at kids all over the country. I had no idea football was so big in Hawai’i. The quarterback at Oregon, Marcus Mariota, was one of the first kids to put a video on there. Tavon Austin, Jeff Luc, and Lamar Miller, who’s now in the pros, and Reuben Randle too were all on there. It’s going to be cool when there’s a youth kid on there who goes onto high school, college, and then into the NFL. It’s really just a great thing that has taken a life of its own.
