Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Anthony Wilson Eager to Emulate Hard-Hitting Idol Karl Joseph This Season
August 25, 2023 03:10 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When junior safety Anthony Wilson walked into the team room for the first time last week, I thought we were looking at David Long Jr. reincarnated. Then, when he said that Karl Joseph was one of his favorite college players while growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, my mind began to race.
A guy who looks like David Long and wants to emulate Karl Joseph is too good to be true, right?
Well, it didn't take Wilson long to make his presence felt during preseason camp when he did his best Joseph impression along the sideline during a half-line passing drill.
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Wilson, who has Joseph's picture as the lock screen on his cell phone, has the video of Karl's infamous sideline hit of Oklahoma's Dede Westbrook saved to his computer. He tried something similar during one of the team's early practices, prompting a rapid response from safeties coach Dontae Wright.
"I told him, 'Whoa. That's your teammate and you need him on Saturday.' He threw everything he had at him, and I took off and sprinted toward him," Wright recalled. "He said, 'We were allowed to do that at our old school.' I said, 'Well, we don't do that here. We are going to take care of each other.'"
Now the guys in the other uniforms? No problem. Go right ahead.
Wilson was the final transfer portal player WVU announced this past June after he completed his four-year degree at Georgia Southern.
Wilson was a third team All-Sun Belt choice in 2021 after producing 78 tackles, 4½ tackles for loss and a sack. Last year, he was one of only six Sun Belt players to register more than 100 tackles while taking part in a team-high 1,023 defensive snaps, earning honorable mention All-Sun Belt honors in the process.
The redshirt junior said his desire to perform at the power conference level led him to transfer here late last spring.
"I just wanted an opportunity to showcase my skills on a bigger stage, and when I came here on my visit, the feeling I got from my coaches and the community, it just felt like home," he explained.
According to Wilson, playing on the same field as Joseph made coming to WVU even more appealing.
"We are almost the same size and just growing up, seeing how he played the game physically, going and knocking people around and making plays on the ball, that's just something I drew to and wanted to emulate in my game," Wilson said.
It's working.
Wilson is a prime candidate to earn a starting job at cat safety, and he might already be the team's best open-field tackler.
There was one play near the goal line during the first scrimmage of camp when he was one-on-one with tight end Kole Taylor, who is roughly 9 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier, but Wilson had no trouble getting Taylor to the ground.
There have been other instances when the cracking pads from his hits can be heard throughout the stadium. It's gotten to the point where the defensive coaches look forward to watching his cutups afterward.
"You should hear us in the staff room. When we're watching film, we get giddy excited watching him," Wright admitted. "It's fun to watch. It really is."
Wright said Wilson can play the way his idol Joseph once played at WVU, if he doesn't aim too high.
"It's fairly simple, if you hit between (the shoulders and the kneecap) you have no problem," Wright explained. "But the second his head goes down, now you have a problem."
Wilson said becoming a good tackler is all about willpower. It's either in you or it's not.
"Growing up, I've always had the heart and the will to want to tackle and be physical. I feel like that's the most important thing," he said.
"I've got to give credit to my Pop Warner coaches, Little League coaches and all throughout high school just making sure I had proper form and making sure I knew what to do when I stepped out on the field," he added.
What you will see on the field this year is not who Wilson is off it. He's soft-spoken, serious and reserved. He's also a film junkie - something he learned from former Georgia Southern defensive coordinator Will Harris, now a member of the Los Angeles Chargers defensive staff.
It was Harris who taught Wilson what to look for and study while watching tape.
"He taught us how to pick up little details and whatever you can find out about the opponent to try to get ahead of it," Wilson explained. "I'm getting the younger guys in there watching film just making sure we are all on the same page for what we are going up against."
Wilson noted there is a lot he can take from the system he learned at Georgia Southern and apply to West Virginia's defense.
Basically, he said football is football.
"Concept-wise, it's similar but there are some technical detail things that are different," he admitted.
Wilson said he is excited to open the season at Penn State. Last year, he was part of Georgia Southern's 45-42 upset victory at Nebraska in front of 86,862 spectators at Memorial Stadium.
Wilson played a big role in that game with five tackles and a sack, and he believes staying in the moment and keeping your feet on the ground helped the Eagles pull off one of the biggest upsets in school history.
His advice to his teammates when they take the field at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 2 against seventh-ranked Penn State?
"Communicate, talk and make sure we've got each other's back," he said. "(Penn State) is a good team, we're a good team and we're just going to go out there and compete."
Overall, Wilson said his adjustment to Morgantown and West Virginia, has been problem-free so far.
"Being here for almost two months, I feel like I'm starting to get settled in and comfortable. Getting here in late May, and just trying to get everything rolling is kind of like business. I'm trying to make sure I do everything I need to do on the field and off the field," he concluded.
West Virginia has a light practice scheduled for today and will have its Penn State game dress rehearsal inside Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday before starting its game-week prep for the Nittany Lions on Sunday.
The opener will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on NBC.
A guy who looks like David Long and wants to emulate Karl Joseph is too good to be true, right?
Well, it didn't take Wilson long to make his presence felt during preseason camp when he did his best Joseph impression along the sideline during a half-line passing drill.
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Wilson, who has Joseph's picture as the lock screen on his cell phone, has the video of Karl's infamous sideline hit of Oklahoma's Dede Westbrook saved to his computer. He tried something similar during one of the team's early practices, prompting a rapid response from safeties coach Dontae Wright.
"I told him, 'Whoa. That's your teammate and you need him on Saturday.' He threw everything he had at him, and I took off and sprinted toward him," Wright recalled. "He said, 'We were allowed to do that at our old school.' I said, 'Well, we don't do that here. We are going to take care of each other.'"
Now the guys in the other uniforms? No problem. Go right ahead.
Wilson was the final transfer portal player WVU announced this past June after he completed his four-year degree at Georgia Southern.
Wilson was a third team All-Sun Belt choice in 2021 after producing 78 tackles, 4½ tackles for loss and a sack. Last year, he was one of only six Sun Belt players to register more than 100 tackles while taking part in a team-high 1,023 defensive snaps, earning honorable mention All-Sun Belt honors in the process.
The redshirt junior said his desire to perform at the power conference level led him to transfer here late last spring.
"I just wanted an opportunity to showcase my skills on a bigger stage, and when I came here on my visit, the feeling I got from my coaches and the community, it just felt like home," he explained.
According to Wilson, playing on the same field as Joseph made coming to WVU even more appealing.
"We are almost the same size and just growing up, seeing how he played the game physically, going and knocking people around and making plays on the ball, that's just something I drew to and wanted to emulate in my game," Wilson said.
It's working.
Wilson is a prime candidate to earn a starting job at cat safety, and he might already be the team's best open-field tackler.
There was one play near the goal line during the first scrimmage of camp when he was one-on-one with tight end Kole Taylor, who is roughly 9 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier, but Wilson had no trouble getting Taylor to the ground.
There have been other instances when the cracking pads from his hits can be heard throughout the stadium. It's gotten to the point where the defensive coaches look forward to watching his cutups afterward.
"You should hear us in the staff room. When we're watching film, we get giddy excited watching him," Wright admitted. "It's fun to watch. It really is."
Wright said Wilson can play the way his idol Joseph once played at WVU, if he doesn't aim too high.
"It's fairly simple, if you hit between (the shoulders and the kneecap) you have no problem," Wright explained. "But the second his head goes down, now you have a problem."
Wilson said becoming a good tackler is all about willpower. It's either in you or it's not.
"Growing up, I've always had the heart and the will to want to tackle and be physical. I feel like that's the most important thing," he said.
"I've got to give credit to my Pop Warner coaches, Little League coaches and all throughout high school just making sure I had proper form and making sure I knew what to do when I stepped out on the field," he added.
What you will see on the field this year is not who Wilson is off it. He's soft-spoken, serious and reserved. He's also a film junkie - something he learned from former Georgia Southern defensive coordinator Will Harris, now a member of the Los Angeles Chargers defensive staff.
It was Harris who taught Wilson what to look for and study while watching tape.
"He taught us how to pick up little details and whatever you can find out about the opponent to try to get ahead of it," Wilson explained. "I'm getting the younger guys in there watching film just making sure we are all on the same page for what we are going up against."
Wilson noted there is a lot he can take from the system he learned at Georgia Southern and apply to West Virginia's defense.
Basically, he said football is football.
"Concept-wise, it's similar but there are some technical detail things that are different," he admitted.
Wilson said he is excited to open the season at Penn State. Last year, he was part of Georgia Southern's 45-42 upset victory at Nebraska in front of 86,862 spectators at Memorial Stadium.
Wilson played a big role in that game with five tackles and a sack, and he believes staying in the moment and keeping your feet on the ground helped the Eagles pull off one of the biggest upsets in school history.
His advice to his teammates when they take the field at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 2 against seventh-ranked Penn State?
"Communicate, talk and make sure we've got each other's back," he said. "(Penn State) is a good team, we're a good team and we're just going to go out there and compete."
Overall, Wilson said his adjustment to Morgantown and West Virginia, has been problem-free so far.
"Being here for almost two months, I feel like I'm starting to get settled in and comfortable. Getting here in late May, and just trying to get everything rolling is kind of like business. I'm trying to make sure I do everything I need to do on the field and off the field," he concluded.
West Virginia has a light practice scheduled for today and will have its Penn State game dress rehearsal inside Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday before starting its game-week prep for the Nittany Lions on Sunday.
The opener will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on NBC.
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