How Florida WR Eugene Wilson III leaned on his dad’s experience to find his way back to the field.
Billy Napier’s postgame press conference after a 55-0 win over Long Island
Florida football coach Billy Napier speak in the postgame press conference after the Gators’ 55-0 victory over Long Island
- Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III returned to the field after missing most of last season due to a congenital hip issue.
- Wilson III relied on advice from his father, two-time Super Bowl champion Eugene Wilson II, during his recovery.
- The elder Wilson also leaned on his own father for support when he faced a season-ending injury in the NFL.
Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III simply couldn’t contain his excitement.
It had been nearly a year since he got to experience the feeling of running on to Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at The Swamp after his 2024 season was cut short by an injury – and so out of enjoy, Wilson sprinted so fast that he outran head coach Billy Napier when the Gators first took the field on Saturday, Aug. 30.
“I didn’t even realize I ran past Coach Napier,” Wilson said. “Something just told me to get out upfront. I haven’t been able to run out of the tunnel like that in a minute. I definitely missed it.”
The redshirt sophomore was finally recovered from surgery for a congenital hip issue.
Another reason that Wilson III couldn’t contain his excitement was because he had gone through his recovery, fully embracing the advice from his dad, Eugene Wilson II, who was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots.
“That was a feeling of gratification,” Eugene Wilson II said. “I told him earlier in the day, before the game, that you have waited longer than everybody else on your team to get back on this field. So, you know this has been a longtime coming. You deserve it and I’m proud of the work he did in the offseason. It just all came to a head.
“I was really happy to see him running out of that tunnel again.”
Eugene Wilson III, better known by his nickname “Tre,” watched a video of himself sprinting on the field after the game and attributed to the number of emotions to the long-term anticipation.
“I feel like that just kind of came from it being built up on from all last season’s being missed out on,” he said. “Just being excited for the moment coming up throughout the whole offseason, especially coming out that tunnel.”
Wilson III’s competitive nature never faded once during the recovery process. In fact, the day of his surgery, his dad comically challenged him to see how long he countdown from 100 before succumbing to anesthesia.
“I told him I want to see how long you can hold off falling asleep,” the elder Wilson said. “That was the first thing I asked him when he came out of from being under. He said he went all the way to 10, but he was proud of it.
“(When) I did it, I think I only made it two or maybe three and I was out. He had to beat pops on who could stay up the longest under anesthesia.”
The injury itself was a bone abnormality in the hip.
“His hip was rubbing where it should be smooth,” Wilson II said. “What the doctor did was smooth all of that so that everything just glides smooth, rather than having a whole bunch of rigid movements and reoccurring injuries.”
However, it was his dad’s wisdom that Tre Wilson III heavily relied on when dealing with not only the lowest points of the recovery, but also knowing when to not overdo it by pushing his body.
“Whenever I feel like I’m going into a dark space or quiet spot, I always kind of lean on my dad,” Tre Wilson III said. “He dealt with those types of things before, so he’ll keep my head straight and make sure I don’t fall too deep.
It’s an experience that Eugene Wilson II was familiar as he dealt with a similar circumstance during his time in the NFL.
“I had a sports hernia back in 2006, and I had to have an adductor release on my groin,” Eugene Wilson II said. “I played like four or five games, and then I was out for the rest of the year. That was a downtime for me as well. It was the first I had been out for a season.”
During Eugene Wilson II’s own recovery, he also regularly called his dad to get him mentally through the process.
“I did the same thing,” he said. “I would call my dad when I would get down.
“He had to realize that there is nothing you can do at that point after having surgery besides just giving it time and let it heal the right way. Rather than trying to do things you are not supposed to be doing too early and then having setbacks…Injuries are a part of this game, so with that being said you can’t blame this injury on you.”
It was advice that Tre Wilson III took to heart, with his dad admitting that he saw growth in his son’s maturity.
“He would catch himself about to do something, and he realized I’m not supposed to be doing that,” Eugene Wilson II said. “That made me proud because a lot of times in the past, Tre would try and push the limits of coming back.”
Later in the game, Tre scored his first touchdown of the season in what is one of the more gratifying of his career.
“It’s been a while since we had seen him get in that end zone,” Eugene Wilson II said. “We know it’s a lot more to come. We’re looking forward to so more touchdowns and more amazing plays.”
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at aabadie@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
