Lifelong fan turned Razorback Quarterback: Everything you should know about Arkansas freshman Grayson Wilson

With spring camp in full swing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, there are plenty of storylines, from new transfers, NIL distribution and 24 new freshmen, including freshman QB Grayson Wilson

Photo by Tommy Land

Between NIL and the transfer portal, most people forget about a football team implementing its freshmen class. The Hogs grabbed 24 commits in the high school ranks, including four in-state prospects. One of those in-state prospects was Grayson Wilson, a quarterback who played this past season at Conway High School. Wilson was ranked the #2 player in the state and the top signal-caller in Arkansas according to 247Sports. 

I had a conversation with Wilson recently and Arkansas fans should be interested to hear about how he came to be a Razorback and what they should expect with the young play-caller.

Was Grayson Wilson destined to be a Razorback?

Most lifelong Razorback fans remember their first Arkansas game. They can recall the opponent, the final score, and the atmosphere that helped ignite their love for the team. Sometimes, they can remember their first Hog heartbreak. Grayson Wilson, a native Arkansan, cannot remember his first Razorback game. That is because he was 4 weeks old when he attended his first game on The Hill, triggering a life-long love for the SEC program.

Wilson's journey to becoming a Razorback started early in his high school career. After performing well in various football camps, Wilson received his first Division I offer from the University of Illinois. He talked with a familiar name that most Hog fans will remember, Barry Lunning Jr., the current offensive coordinator for the Illini and former Arkansas interim head coach. 

Receiving an offer from a Big Ten school is a big deal, especially as a high school freshman. This put him on the recruiting map as several other schools wanted to send an offer his way. Central Arkansas and Pittsburgh sent offers and Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, and others showed interest. However, once he received an offer from the University of Arkansas on March 4, 2023, his college decision became easy. 

In our recent conversation, Wilson told me the dream of being a Razorback was about to be realized, and he did not waste much time with his decision, committing to play for the Hogs a little over a month later on April 15th, before his junior season.

Even after Arkansas fired former offensive coordinator Dan Enos in the middle of the 2023 season, Wilson did not decommit as many recruits would. "I was confident Coach (Sam Pittman) would bring in a good guy and get the quarterbacks he wanted."

Wilson was the talk of the state after his commitment to the hometown Hogs, but he still had two more seasons of his high school career left to play. 

Grayson Wilson is developing into a Star

Before his time at Conway High School, Wilson had been a star quarterback at Central Arkansas Christian in North Little Rock, a private school that competed in the 4A classification of Arkansas high school football. He had shown flashes through his first two seasons at CAC, but his play elevated in his junior season after Ryan Howard was brought in as the head coach of the Mustangs.

Howard and Wilson turned out to be a perfect match. Wilson completed 67.8% of his passes that season and threw for over 3,400 yards and 41 touchdowns, only throwing 2 interceptions. He had not previously hit the 2,000-yard mark in a season. Wilson also showcased his athleticism, rushing for 837 yards and finding the endzone with his legs 15 times. His elevated play rubbed off onto his team as the Mustangs went 9-3 on the year while winning its first conference championship since 2015. CAC also made their first playoff appearance since 2015.

Everyone expected this pairing to be back for another season, but with the current state of high school athletics, that is not always guaranteed.

With the unofficial "transfer portal" in high school athletics, players can transfer schools seemingly at a moment's notice. In the past, there have been restrictions with transferring from school to school, including players having to sit out from athletics for a year. That rule and player movement have been criticized by many, but Wilson has no problem with it. He believes that the "high school transfer portal" should be open for all high schoolers and no one should have to sit out. Wilson believes that every high schooler should be able to "play where they want."

Coach Howard left CAC, which was a surprise to many. This caused several of the young and promising Mustang receivers that Wilson had built a rapport with to leave, and the star quarterback decided to do the same. Those were not the only reasons why Wilson decided to move on from the Mustangs, however.

"I wanted to play against tougher competition," said Grayson Wilson when I asked about his decision to leave. His receivers and coach leaving played a part, but it is reasonable to consider that he would want to be better prepared for SEC and Division I football. The best way to be prepared for that next level is to move on to the highest classification in the state.

The Move

Conway High School was coming off its first season with legendary head coach Buck James. They were also coming off their final season with all-state quarterback Donovyn Omolo. Coach James suddenly had a hole at arguably the most important position on the field in what was just going to be his second season with the Wampus Cats. Before long, Wilson came in to save the day.

Grayson Wilson was named the starting quarterback for the Conway Wampus Cats, filling the hole at signal-caller and giving the incoming senior a chance to play against the toughest high school competition Arkansas has to offer. Not only was the competition tougher, but so were the practices. Wilson said that every practice was "tough and hard-nosed," and so was the strength and conditioning program.

What made this move even more desirable for Conway was who they brought in to be the quarterback coach.

Coach James hired Wilson's former head coach at CAC, Ryan Howard, to coach Conway's passers. What was once a great pairing for CAC was again a great pairing for Conway, who was solidifying themselves as a 7A title contender.

Wilson loved being able to work alongside his former head coach. When I asked about the differences between Howard as a quarterback coach compared to a head coach, he said it all had to do with film. "We would spend a lot of time watching film together...spending time after class...He could not do that when he was the head coach because he had to focus on everyone else."

Reuniting with Coach Howard worked out once again. Even though Wilson dealt with injuries in 2024, he still passed for over 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns against elite competition. He also had a 71.2% completion percentage.

Wilson led Conway to the 7A state semifinal game, just missing out on a championship appearance. After the season, Wilson officially signed with the Razorbacks on December 4, 2024, which was expected. What was not expected was that he was not the only quarterback the Hogs signed in the 2025 class.

The competition begins at Arkansas

No one saw it coming when Arkansas signed another quarterback, Madden Iamaleava out of California who had originally been committed to UCLA. Like Wilson, he was considered a four-star prospect by some, a three-star by others, and a top 25 passer in the nation. The news of this move was first announced on national signing day, and this news came as a shock to Wilson, who had previously been told that he would be the lone freshman quarterback Arkansas was bringing in this coming season. It still did not deter him, though.

"I'm not afraid to compete," stated Wilson when I asked about his reaction to the news.

With the transfer portal, Wilson recognizes that there is a lot of roster movement every year, especially at the quarterback position, so he is not worried about who is brought in to compete against him. He told me "There may be six new quarterbacks next year," which is a slight exaggeration, but the nature of the portal makes that a true possibility.

Regardless of who is in that quarterback room with him, Grayson Wilson is going to compete and work hard to earn playing time. He eventually wants to "become the starter (in order) to help this team win championships." First, he must win the battle to be Taylen Green's backup, who will likely be the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks for a second year in a row.

Since joining the Razorbacks last season, Taylen Green has become a great mentor for young quarterbacks like Wilson. Wilson mentioned that though Green has been at Arkansas for two years, he is still learning the offense that is orchestrated by offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

Learning from a veteran quarterback who is still learning himself is helpful but so is learning from a legendary coach who is especially known for his work with passers. In Wilson's mission to learn Coach Petrino's famous massive playbook, he has been revising some fundamental techniques. With the pro-style offense that Coach Petrino uses, there is a different type of footwork Wilson needs to master. He is also working on being able to "drive the ball more."

Between learning the playbook and new techniques, Wilson has been excited for the chance to play in the upcoming Red and White game which takes place on April 19th. Part of the excitement is from seeing which playmakers could potentially stand out for the Razorbacks this season. On offense, transfer receivers Raylen Sharpe (Fresno State) and Ismael Cisse (Stanford) have been very impressive with the ball in their hands. On the defensive side, Stephen Dix Jr. and Larry Worth III have been "flying around the field." One player he said would be one to look out for this season is transfer running back Mike Washington Jr., who will be in his first year with the Razorbacks after coming from New Mexico State.

What you should be looking forward to this season

Grayson Wilson is the first in-state quarterback that the Razorbacks are bringing in as a true freshman since Landon Rogers in 2021 from Little Rock. Rogers was quickly converted to tight end, so the last true quarterback from the Natural State on scholarship as a freshman was Connor Noland in 2018, who played in 4 games before joining the baseball team full-time.

Looking back at Wilson's high school stats, it is clear that he is an accurate passer, but his athleticism provides a dual-threat element. Outside of what he has done on the ground, he starred at CAC as a tri-sport athlete. As a junior, he averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game on the hardwood for the Mustangs, and he struck out 120 batters over 2 seasons while pitching in the high 80s for the baseball team.

I asked if he would attempt to be a dual-sport athlete in college, like Razorback greats Matt Jones and Jamario Bell who played both football and basketball at the collegiate level. He admitted it would be a lot of work, but he is fully committed to his talents on the gridiron, so he will be a single-sport athlete for the time being.

Razorback fans will likely see this freshman suit up on April 19th when Arkansas holds its annual Red and White Spring Game, which will also be a great time to see how the backup quarterback battle shapes up.