NFL Draft Prospect: Rice University’s Luke Willson Has His Own Lingo

Luke Willson of Rice University is not the average athlete college athlete looking to make in the NFL. For starters, the 6-5, 250 pound tight end, who caught a TD in the NFLPA’s Collegiate Bowl Game, is a Canadian citizen. When asked what it was like leaving Canada to come play football in the states, he explained the recruiting process.

“A coach from Rice saw me at a camp… I sent some film in… had to play some summer football and things just sorta went from there,” Willson explained. On top of that, his new friends at Rice didn’t let him forget that his lingo was different.

“Everytime I said ‘eh’ people would laugh,” he said. “I didn’t catch on for a while but then I was like, aw man! Now when I hear people from home say it, I just think they sound pretty ridiculous too.”

He chuckled when asked if they spoke French in his village, and said, “In my TOWN, we speak English…”

Besides being one of the funniest players at the Collegiate Bowl, he is still a tremendous athlete. “Growing up, I played hockey… well, everyone in Canada plays hockey… but ya, hockey, soccer, baseball… My brothers played football so I played with them, too.”

Luke’s two older brothers, Eric and Greg, are fraternal twins. One is a running back, while the other is an offensive lineman. They both play at the University of Western Ontario, the alma mater of current Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Vaughn Martin.

Baseball was his main focus for a long time, but around 11th grade, he started taking football a little more seriously. Before getting offers from Stanford and Washington State, he played with the Canadian Junior National baseball team, where he got to travel and play in a lot of interesting places. That year, the Junior World Series took place in Canada, so he had the chance to get a pretty awesome tour of different provinces in his native land.

Before starting his senior year at Rice, he spent time in the Toronto Blue Jays’ extended spring training camp. He got drafted by the Toronto Argos in the fourth round of the Canadian Football League draft last spring, and if the NFL doesn’t work out, he has those options as well.

However, the NFL gridiron is becoming an increasingly real possibility after a stellar workout at Rice’s pro day. Reminding scouts why he began the season on the Mackey Award Watch List, as one of the top tight ends to watch for this past season, Wilson posted a 4.49 forty-yard dash time paired with 23-reps on the bench press and a 38-inch vertical leap.

Proving to have the strength and athleticism to be a factor in any offense, and coming from the same system as Philadelphia Eagles’ tight end James Casey, Willson has proved the injuries are a thing in of the past and that he’s ready to take the next step.

When asked if he ever gets jokes about his name and gets confused with the actor Luke Willson, of such classics as Old School, he just rolled his eyes. “I get it all the time… ‘OH, hey, Luke… how’s your brother, Owen?” …real original guys, never heard that one before.”

He’s half Italian, and could eat Italian food every day of the week without getting tired of it, especially if his Nana made it. Her cooking is one of his favorite parts about going home, which doesn’t happen very often.

His degree is in philosophy and he enjoys pondering the finer simplicities of life. With that being said, he’s way behind on technology and just got an iPhone during bowl week. His favorite part of the week? “Having the opportunity to meet these coaches and players was awesome, getting to hear some insight and knowledge was so valuable… plus getting to know all the guys was really fun, even though I knew a few from playing at Rice.”