TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State was already going to be without star quarterback Jordan Travis for the Orange Bowl. Now the Seminoles will be without one of his top targets as well.
Johnny Wilson is skipping the Orange Bowl and will declare for the NFL Draft, he told ESPN on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7, 237-pound wide receiver has 102 career receptions, 1,757 career receiving yards and eight career touchdowns in four seasons – two with Arizona State and, most recently, Florida State.
Wilson's production blossomed when he transferred to Florida State for the 2022 season. He caught 43 passes for 897 yards and five touchdowns, including eight catches for 202 yards in the 35-32 Cheez-It Bowl victory over Oklahoma – both Florida State bowl records.
Wilson took a backseat to Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman in 2023, but he's still the second-leading receiver for the Seminoles with 41 catches for 617 yards and two touchdowns, despite missing two games this season.
"I wanted to finish the season with an opportunity to compete for the national championship. That didn't happen," Wilson told ESPN. "I knew this was going to be my last year. I put what I wanted to put on film and did what I normally do on the field. It felt like it was that time. I did what I could here."
Wilson's early exit isn't likely to be the last for the Seminoles, whose national championship aspirations were denied when they were shut out of the College Football Playoff despite their 13-0 record. The Atlantic Coast Conference champions are the first undefeated Power 5 league winner to be denied a spot in the four-team playoff.
It remains to be seen whether Coleman, who is projected to be a first-round draft pick, will stick around for the Orange Bowl.