FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jared Wilson nearly went to the University of North Carolina.
The New England Patriots’ offensive lineman committed to play for the Tar Heels in April 2020, which would have made him teammates with quarterback Drake Maye. However, he decommitted and opted to play for Georgia.
So instead, he had to wait six years to finally get the opportunity to snap the ball to Drake Maye.
“Oh, man, it’s cool. It’s a full circle moment,” Wilson said. “I remember us talking about it… It was a couple of weeks ago. I was just like, ‘dang. We were committed to North Carolina together. This is close to getting there and then veered off to Georgia, and now we’re both here.’ I’m the center, and he’s the quarterback. It all worked out great.”
The Patriots drafted Wilson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft as a center out of Georgia, but they transitioned him to left guard after signing Garrett Bradbury in free agency.
Now, Bradbury is a member of the Chicago Bears, and the team signed guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, allowing Wilson to return to his original position.
“Honestly, I mean, from guard to center, people say you’ve got to know all three positions on the interior offensive line. That is a very true statement, but it was very different,” Wilson said. “I was there before. I played it in college. So comfortable. But there’s always things to learn. Always new things to learn and things to tweak.”
And while he didn’t give too much away, his smile said it all regarding the move.
“Very excited,” Wilson said. “Very excited. I’ll leave it at that.”
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots C Jared Wilson details ‘full circle’ moment with Drake Maye
