By Alexandira Bonin

 

Most athletes start developing their trade before losing their baby teeth, however, Nolan Wilson didn’t start until his 10th-grade year. A year later, he started receiving Division I offers and has now committed to the University of Alabama from Picayune Memorial High School. 

6-foot-4, 240-pound, a four-star recruit and an ESPN 300 No. 53 prospect, Wilson has proved the power behind Picayune’s notable football program when mixed with a determined student. While his mom initially showed some concern over the physical demands of the sport, support was never in short supply for Wilson. He said his aunt, in particular, has been one of his biggest supporters.

“I remember the day I joined football… she said, ‘You’re joining football? I don’t know about this; you can break your arms and stuff… alright, we’re going to pray about it, but we’re gonna do it,”  recalled Wilson. “My auntie was probably my biggest supporter ever. I had a lot of them, but when it came to her, she was going to ride or die for her Nolan.”

Wilson believes starting later gave him an advantage. Without years of ingrained habits, he came in with a clean slate, ready to learn.

“I believe having been so late into football really kind of helped me. I didn’t have any bad habits,”  said Wilson. “So when you have no bad habits, and just good athleticism, it’s going to come naturally.”

Athleticism has been a core part of Wilson’s success. Before football, he played basketball in elementary school and soccer in middle school. His dad told him early on that he would never be forced to play a sport he didn’t love—a lesson Wilson took to heart and hopes to pass on to his own kids someday.

“I believe if you force your kids to do something, they might not put their whole effort into it,”  said Wilson. “If they really want to do it, they’re going to do it. So I believe that stuck with me really hard.”

Even back in his Pee-Wee days, Wilson loved sports. By middle school, he switched his focus to soccer, which he said prepared him by teaching discipline and hard work.

“They teach us hard work,”  said Wilson. “If we’re not going to be good, we’re going to work hard. That’s one thing Picayune has taught me, period.”

In 2021, PMHS football won the 5A state championship against West Point High School—a major accomplishment for the program. But the team wasn’t satisfied. The following year, they earned a back-to-back title with another victory over West Point, winning 31-21. It was the first time in school history that the Maroon Tide became consecutive state champions.

Former PMHS player Brady Robertson remembers the atmosphere of that 2022 game vividly.

“I started the second year (2022), and the atmosphere was literally the closest thing you can get to a collegiate game,”  said Robertson. “That game meant a lot to me because it showed what true Maroon Tide football was about. We fought back from a 14-3 deficit… It was a statement for the future Tidesmen.”

That moment made Wilson want to join the program. He signed up in 10th grade and quickly caught the attention of college recruiters. On Sept. 30, 2024, he took to social media to announce his first official offer—from Alabama. After that, offers poured in, but Wilson stuck with the program that believed in him from the start.

“Alabama was just always there for me since the beginning,” said Wilson. “Every time I would go somewhere, I was thinking in the back of my mind, ‘What does this compare to Bama?’”

Wilson also remembers his first time on the field for PMHS.

“It was two years ago versus Pascagoula. It rained that day, and it was raining hard,”  said Wilson. “Coach Stogner put me on the kickoff team. I only played on the kickoff team. I went down there and I got killed. I got hit, and I was on my back. I stood up and I made the tackle. I was like, ‘Okay, I kind of like how that feels.’”

PMHS head coach Cody Stogner remembers seeing Wilson on campus before he joined the team and wondering why a kid of his size wasn’t already on the field. When Wilson decided to play football, Stogner welcomed him with open arms. 

“It’s God-given talent,” said Stogner. “God blessed him with a great size and athletic ability, and he’s just learned how to do it, credit to the coaches for giving him that position.”

“We had seen him around the halls and at basketball games, and we knew he was an athlete,” Stogner said. “Once he decided to come out, we knew he had something special. He’s just scratching the surface of what he can be.”

Having lived in Picayune his entire life, Wilson has a deep appreciation for the town that raised him. Announcing his commitment at a large community event on the Fourth of July meant a lot to him.

“I’ve definitely felt the community come together,”  said Wilson. “On Friday nights, everybody is coming out. Everybody loves us.”

Looking ahead to his senior year and beyond, Wilson has a positive outlook on what’s to come. While he admits there are things he might have done differently if he could go back, he’s focused on the future.

“You don’t look at the past,” he said. “Because if you keep on going to the past, you’re not going to see what’s in the future or the present.”