Is Ontaria Wilson the hidden gem of #Tribe17?

It’s rare to find a 6’4 playmaker in such a small town. Ashburn, Georgia, with its tiny population, peanut statue and Fire Ant Festival, isn’t much of a blue chip juggernaut. Finding commit Tamorrion Terry was unusual, but discovering Ontaria Wilson, Terry’s teammate out of Ashburn (Ga.) Turner County, was special.

The 6’0, 160 pound cornerback, who committed to the Seminoles with Terry on January 12, was unranked when Florida State offered. Since signing with the Noles he’s earned a consensus three-star ranking. With this bump, Wilson is ranked as the No. 740 overall player, No. 75 wide receiver, and No. 75 player from Georgia in the 2017 recruiting class per the 247Sports composite rankings.

That still feels low. Wilson is slotted to fit on defense, but the speedy cover man also caught six touchdowns and returned four more during his senior season. The part-time wide receiver and kick returner has versatile athleticism, eluding tacklers and gliding for extra yards. Not to mention he returned three interceptions for touchdowns at his recruited position - cornerback.

That unique playmaking ability is likely what Jimbo Fisher and Charles Kelly saw in Wilson. It’s the ability to change the scoreboard that could make him special.

Included below is our scouting report on Wilson, from a high school coach on our staff.

Ontaira Wilson is the high school teammate of WR commit Tamorrion Terry. At 6’0, 160 pounds, he was unranked by the recruiting services until after he committed to FSU in January. But the cornerback, a playmaker in all three phases of the game, is a gem in this recruiting class. Jimbo Fisher says you want players on your team that change numbers on the scoreboard and Wilson is just that type of player.

He was not recruited by many schools due to location and lack of exposure, but Wilson possesses many of the elite traits you look for in a defensive back prospect. He plays a lot of off coverage in his film. There he shows the instincts to identify routes, read the quarterback, plant and accelerate out of his breaks. His burst is also shown with the ball in his hands as a returner or wide receiver. Once Wilson has the ball he is a threat to find the endzone, showing natural ability to set up blocks and make defenders miss.

When the ball is in the air, Wilson goes up and gets it at its highest point. He has the natural instincts to high point the ball and fully extend to make catches away from his body. FSU’s ability to identify and evaluate talent appears to have paid off. Wilson is a prospect poised to flourish in a system that has been conducive to defensive back success.