A dog and a baller: Transfer earning praise

AUBURN | College teams usually bring in graduate transfers to make an immediate impact at a position of need. And that’s exactly what Jay Jay Wilson is doing at Auburn.

Through the first two weeks of fall camp, Wilson has been one of the standouts on offense.

“Jay Jay Wilson is a guy that's really stood out so far just wanting the ball and attacking the ball and really doing a good job overall,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said.

The Tigers have some big shoes to fill at H-back after the departure of four-year starter Chandler Cox. Wilson, who played both H-back and linebacker at Arizona State, has more than held his own as a ball carrier, pass catcher and blocker.

His receiving skills have been so dependable, Malzahn has been allowing him to split out wide at times.

“He’s versatile,” Malzahn said. “The guy is like, he can play a lot of different positions. He could play a wide receiver positions, he could probably play running back. He can do a lot of different things, but I will say this: the other two H-Backs, I mean, the older guys, you can tell they’ve improved.

“So, it feels good that we have three of them and we can do a little bit more things. We might be in 12 personnel a little bit more, and so it gives us more flexibility. So, umm, that’s a good thing as far as going into the season.”

And it’s not just Malzahn that’s been impressed by Wilson. His new teammates are equally excited about his potential to be an impact player this fall.

“That boy is a dog. I like him a lot. The boy is a dog, though,” running back JaTarvious Whitlow said. “It's just his work ethic, man. A guy comes in here and didn't really talk that much, he lets his play on the field speak for itself. He came in here and wasn't like one of the type of the guys who were doing that hoo-rah, hoo-rah, but when he steps on the field — he just turns the lights on. It's on from there.”

“Baller, he's a baller. He can do everything,” running back Kam Martin said. “He hasn't dropped a ball. He dropped one today, but that was his first ball he ever dropped in fall camp. No lie, that's his first ball he ever dropped. And so Jay Jay is gonna have a good year, I feel it. He had a good fall, and he's just a baller.”