40 Acres Sports

Former Longhorn and US Army All-American [tag]Jerrell Wilkerson[/tag] will attend the University of the Incarnate Word on a football scholarship. The Division II school in Wilkerson’s hometown of San Antonio will not begin it’s first football season until 2009 but he will be practicing with the team and attending school starting this fall. He’ll be the biggest name on the team.

Wilkerson was a running back/wide receiver recruit that excited Texas fans because of his speed, shiftiness, and electric highlight videos. Fans couldn’t wait to see what the undersized back could do with a football in his hands for the Horns. He is San Antonio’s all-time leading rusher with 7,249 rushing yards and 110 touchdowns at Clark High School.

At Texas Wilkerson was redshirting during his freshman season but left school and the team abruptly just weeks before the national championship game. He left the team not over playing time but in order to take care of his responsibilities as a man. He was forced to return home to San Antonio to work to support his newborn son financially.

Jerrell had things in his life he had to get in order. Now after three years away from the field he’s getting a second chance at football and an education. I hope he enjoys the opportunity he’s getting to play football but if he uses it to get a college degree he’s going to be a better man for it. We’ll be keeping an eye out for him and rooting for him both on and off the field. Good luck.

• Source

Sounds like a good kid making the best out of a tough situation.

It wasn’t officially announced, but when freshman Jerrell Wilkerson left the UT football team in December it wasn’t because of playing time issues. The San Antonio Express-News has a nice article on Wilkerson and how he’s handling going from high school kid to UT football player to father.

“I know a lot of people had hopes and expectations, but I had some responsibilities as a man that I felt I couldn’t take care of when I was up there (in Austin),” Wilkerson said this week. “My football career is definitely not over. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss it.”

Rough situation but it sounds like he’s trying to do things the right way. Certainly not the most important thing, but hopefully he gets back on the football somewhere field soon. He’s a gifted athlete and he can use that to create opportunities for himself off the field.

Bobby Tatum & Michael Houston have been rumored for a while. Jerrell Wilkerson is surprising and disappointing.