In a perfect world, Colorado Rockies second base prospect Russell Wilson would have liked to spend part of 2011 in the team's minor league system before heading back to the N.C. State Wolfpack for one more football campaign. But we don't live in a perfect world.
It now appears that N.C. State head coach Tom O'Brien did not like Wilson's decision to play baseball and wasn't going to give Wilson a fair chance at being the starting quarterback in 2011. So now Wilson has been granted a transfer release and he can play immediately with a new team under NCAA rules (he already graduated and can receive one extra year because he has remaining eligibility).
According to ESPN's Joe Schad, several SEC teams could be interested him, and there are already six teams who have expressed interest in recruiting him (via Backing The Pack). But the far more interesting piece from Schad's article is this:
Wilson is open to playing in the Canadian Football League in the future and has been weighing that against the prospect of several years in the minor leagues of baseball. Wilson is adjusting to playing every day in baseball and has been thinking about how he's not sure if he's ready to give up his football dream, the source said.
Wilson is just 6 feet tall, making him an atypical quarterback for the NFL, but the CFL would be more accessible to him. Does this desire to continue playing football come from his .226/.377/.387 line in 21 games? It might take him a few seasons to really reach his potential, but that might be no more than a good gloveman with moderate hitting abilities.
I'd love to see him put on a purple jersey one day, but the CFL may be a better career choice.