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Zach Wilson’s Family of Football Fanatics Chasing the NFL Dream

Published 04/24/2021, 7:45 AM EDT

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With the 2021 NFL Draft less than a week away, the hype surrounding this year’s draft class is at an all-time high. And a lot of that attention is being directed towards BYU’s Zach Wilson. 

Zach Wilson has seen a meteoric rise in his draft stock following his performances in the 2020 college football season. Throwing close to 3,700 passing yards and recording 33 touchdowns, the QB ranks high on the list of several scout reports.

Thus it’s likely that Wilson won’t have to wait too long to hear his name being called out on draft day. In fact, reports suggest that he could be nabbed by the New York Jets with the 2nd overall pick. 

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Wilson, now days away from realizing his NFL dream, has a lot to look forward to. And the QB can definitely thank his family for their role in making him fall in love with the sport.

Zach Wilson’s family of die-hard Utes fans

Born and raised in Draper, Utah, Wilson hails from a family of die-hard Utah Utes fans. Zach’s father Mike Wilson was even a defensive tackle on Utah’s football teams from 1992 to 1995.

Wilson’s mother, Lisa Wilson, is a huge fan of the University of Utah football team. Thus it’s no surprise how and why Wilson picked up the sport. 

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The Wilson family’s association with the Utes goes way back. On his mother’s side, for the Neeleman family, supporting the Utes is tradition. Wilson’s parents, ardent Utes alumni, were season ticket holders to the side’s games.  

Fun fact, Wilson is the nephew of commercial airline entrepreneur David Neeleman, who is the founder of airliners such as Morris Air, WestJet, and JetBlue to name a few.

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Thus their son joining arch-rivals BYU was a difficult one to process. In fact, Wilson’s mother at first rejected the idea of her son joining the BYU Cougars.

Wilson had committed to Boise State before opting for BYU. The family wished for the call from the Utes that never came. But in the end, it all worked out in favor of the talented young QB.

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With his college days now behind him, the Wilson family will have a new team to support. And all signs currently point to the Big Apple.

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Written by:

Shivayan Roy

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Shivayan Roy is currently an NFL writer at EssentiallySports. After completing his Masters Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Roy functioned as a reporter for Goal.com and extensively covered the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
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