Former record-setting Serra running back Erich Wilson is transferring from the University of Washington to San Jose State and accepting a scholarship to play for the Spartans, confirmed Patrick Walsh, Wilson’s high school coach.
Wilson led Serra to a Central Coast Section Division I football title in 2011 with Wilson and Eric Redwood running wild against defenses.
But Wilson only got 28 carries in six games last season at Washington and, more than that, yearned to be back in the Bay Area. He will have to sit out one season due to NCAA rules, but may practice with the team. Following the 2013 season, he will have three seasons of eligibility left.
Said Walsh: “Many freshmen get homesick in their first year and long for home. Many kids get over it through time, some don’t. Erich never got over his homesickness and simply longed to be closer to home.”
Wilson will be the second high-profile former Serra running back transferring into San Jose State in recent years. De’Leon Eskridge also made the move to San Jose State from the University of Minnesota a few years ago and rushed for 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and caught 28 passes for 156 yards.
As a senior at Serra, Wilson managed school records for yards rushing (2,106) and touchdowns (36). He also had a Padre career record 52 touchdowns and broke Lynn Swann’s career record by scoring 316 points.
In other former Serra running back news, 2012 Padre star Redwood, who broke Wilson's all-time Serra mark for rushing yards, re-stated in a conversation with Prep2Prep this spring that he is taking 2013 off from football and said he is uncertain whether he will return to football in the future.
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Reach John Murphy at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com. Follow him on Twitter @PrepCat.
