“Thank you Coach Bennie and [Vernon Norwood] for coming to talk to my family and I, about what LSU has to offer,” wrote Quincy Wilson on Instagram last month after his Paris Olympic teammate Vernon Norwood paid him a visit to pitch LSU. The 18-year-old Olympic gold medalist and U18 400m world record holder seemed genuinely interested back then, but fast-forward a few weeks, and it looks like LSU’s charm has worn off. Wilson has now dropped his list of preferred universities, and let’s just say… LSU might be sweating right now.

In recent months, Wilson has been weighing his options of joining a top university and pursuing his passion for running. Several prestigious programs courted him, with LSU and UCLA emerging as frontrunners, both inviting him to visit their campuses, meet the staff, and even sport their jerseys. Many in the track and field community were convinced LSU would make his top five choices, if not claim the top spot, but the reality turned out to be far different.

Recently, Citius Mag revealed Quincy Wilson’s top five preferred universities, ranked as follows: Texas A&M, University of South Carolina, University of Maryland, USC, and UCLA. Clearly, Vernon Norwood’s efforts to lure Wilson to LSU have fallen flat, as the world record holder no longer considers the Tigers a serious option.

Just days ago, Wilson visited LSU, even sharing photos of himself in their jersey with the caption, “Geaux Tigers 💜💛 #notcomitted #officialvisit #lsu #lsutrackandfield.” However, it now seems the young prodigy has changed his mind ever since. Just before that, he paid a visit to UCLA, meeting both the team and staff members. He even shared a photo of himself in a UCLA uniform with the caption, “go bruins ?💙💛 #notcommitted #officialvisit.” Within just two weeks, he toured two major universities, and now he’s narrowed down his list of top choices.

With multiple colleges lining up to have a piece of his talent, Wilson has set his mind on five. But who will be the ultimate winner? That’s a question left unanswered. Regardless, the young athlete has been drawing inspiration from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone recently.

Quincy Wilson on why he follows Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

With four Olympic golds and five World Championship titles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone stands as one of the greatest athletic talents the U.S. has ever produced. She’s been collecting gold for years; her last bronze came way back in 2016 at the USATF Championships in Eugene. Now, with record-breaking performances in the 400m as well, she’s cemented her status as one of the sport’s biggest stars,  and for Wilson, she’s truly someone to look up to.

“One Olympian that inspired me as a kid was probably Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone because of her work ethic and how she transitioned from a 16-year-old into what she has done so much and how she has changed the sport and made the best out of what she’s done and how her faith has changed her into the woman she’s been today. And now I want to be a man, growing up into who I am,” said Wilson in his conversation with Olympics.

Both Wilson and Sydney have made history early in their careers. At just 16, the New Jersey native became the youngest American track athlete to qualify for the Olympics in 2016. Later, she went on to set the 400m hurdles world record of 50.37 seconds at the 2024 Games and clocked 47.78 in the flat 400m at the 2025 Tokyo Worlds. Wilson followed the same trajectory, posting a world U18 best of 44.10 seconds in the 400m and now making sure that his future in track and field is secured.