I went through Wilson's conference games last year and pulled some numbers. Is Wilson really a home run for Wiscy? To be sure, he's not a bad athlete. But this isn't exactly a guy to be terrified of.
On the ground he's serviceable. He's no Tyrod Taylor, probably the best dual-threat QB we've faced in the past few years, and frankly he's not even terribly impressive. Against ACC rush defenses that average 41.8 in the nation Wilson ran for a rather pedestrian 2.98 YPC. He played three Rush Defenses ranked in the top 25 in the ACC and scored twice (both against #21 Rush D Maryland), and cracked 50 yards once (against the Terps).
It's passing that I think puts Wilson in the "overrated" category. The Pass Defenses he faced in the ACC averaged a 60.6 ranking, or pretty much smack in the middle of the FBS. Wilson racked up 300 or more yards passing in six of eight conference games, and threw for two or more TDs five times. The problem is turnovers. Wilson threw 11 picks last year against rather pedestrian pass defenses. He threw a pick in every game, including to the 92nd-rated Pass Defense of Wake Forest. Overall he threw 17 TDs to 11 INTs in conference – hardly a ratio to boast about.
And it can't be stressed enough that this was in a system with which he was familiar, having been a three-year starter at South Carolina. It also cannot be stressed enough that Tom O'Brien is the Bee's Knees when it comes to developing QB talent. O'Brien has been coaching in the ACC 19 years, and six times he's had the ACC first-team QB. Wilson wasn't so special that a guy who absolutely understands QB talent was afraid to let him go.
I see Wilson as a talented athlete with solid skills, but also as a guy who was likely a product of O'Brien's proven system. I think he'll be the best QB at Wiscy this year, so by getting him they've improved their lot, but I'm not sold on the idea that we need to be more concerned about Wiscy now than we were yesterday.
And that's not to mention the fact that Bo knows quite well how to defend a mobile QB like Wilson.