June 27, 2011

MADISON, Wis. -- Russell Wilson has committed to Wisconsin and plans to play football for the Badgers and attend graduate school at UW beginning this fall, head coach Bret Bielema announced Monday.

“Russell will come in and compete for the starting quarterback position,” Bielema said. “This is an unusual situation, especially for a program that prides itself on developing players throughout their careers, as we do here at Wisconsin. However, this is a special situation and Russell is the type of player and person that fits very well with our team.”

Wilson played quarterback for three seasons at NC State before playing baseball this summer with the Asheville Tourists in the Colorado Rockies farm system. In his three seasons with the Wolfpack, Wilson earned All-ACC honors each year and threw for 8,545 yards and 76 touchdowns (against just 26 interceptions). That yardage total is third-best in NC State history and his TD total is second-best in school annals and third-best in ACC history.

Heading into this season, his 76 TD passes are third-most among active players, trailing only Case Keenum of Houston and Kellen Moore of Boise State. Wilson completed 682-of-1180 passes (57.8 percent) and had a 135.5 pass efficiency rating in 36 career games at NC State.

Wilson also ran for 17 career scores, making him responsible for 93 TDs in his career, the second-best mark in school and ACC history. His 682 career completions trail only Philip Rivers in the Wolfpack record book.

A second-team All-ACC performer and team captain in 2010, Wilson led the ACC in passing yards per game (274.1) and total offense (307.5). That total offense mark ranked 10th in the FBS ranks while his passing mark ranked 15th.

As a sophomore, Wilson was an honorable mention All-ACC performer. He ranked fourth nationally in touchdown passes with 31, a mark that led the ACC. He attempted 379-straight passes without throwing an interception, dating from the Clemson game of 2008 to the Wake Forest game of 2009, the longest streak in NCAA history.

A native of Richmond, Va., Wilson burst on the scene in 2008, becoming the first freshman ever to be named the first-team All-ACC quarterback and also earning the league’s Rookie of the Year award. He led the ACC in passing efficiency (133.9), touchdown passes (17) and total offense (213.0).

Wisconsin opens fall camp on Aug. 4 with practice starting the next day. The Badgers’ first game is Thursday, Sept. 1 vs. UNLV. The game is in prime time (7 p.m. CT) on ESPN.