Football was not Garrett Wilson’s first love.

The sophomore receiver is making a name for himself with athletic grabs and explosive performances on the gridiron, but the hardwood is where Wilson feels most at home.

“Basketball is, to this day, my favorite sport,” Wilson said on Tuesday. “The size just didn’t bless me.”

The Texas native began playing basketball when he was five and still hasn’t lost his connection to the courts.

“If it was up to me I probably would be playing basketball,” Wilson said.

Considering the numbers he put up against Nebraska, football was definitely the right decision for the six-foot, 193-pound Wilson. He snagged a career-high seven receptions for 129 yards in his first game of 2020 and appeared to be Justin Fields’ go-to target throughout the afternoon.

After making a handful of spectacular plays on the outside as a freshman, Wilson switched to the slot in the off-season. In game No. 1, Ryan Day moved his talented receiver around the field, mixing looks across the middle with chances for the receiver to show his downfield speed.

The promise the second-year receiver showed was evident early- Wilson caught three passes for 82 yards in the first quarter, including a 42-yard touchdown and a massive fourth-down conversion on a tipped ball where Wilson displayed top-tier concentration to haul in the wobbling pass.

“It’s hard to replicate something like that in practice, but overall, just doing hand-eye coordination drills and stuff like that- catching the ball often- it’s all gonna go into it,” Wilson said of his incredible first quarter catch.

The ability Wilson has to move across the field and remain a consistent threat is a rare one. Day said that all-around impact will benefit Ohio State in countless ways this season.

“Garrett really does have a lot of versatility in his game,” Day said. “He can play outside, he can play inside, he can play big, he can play quick inside. He’s got great timing down the field. So he’s got quite a skill set. We’re gonna try to find ways to put him in the most advantageous situations.”

Wilson has stated on multiple occasions that his favorite receiver is Davonte Adams of the Green Bay Packers, adding Tuesday that he idolizes Adams’ ability to make catches in any situation, anywhere on the field.

On Saturday, Wilson certainly showed his own threat in all areas of the field. Moving to the slot is a big change, especially for someone as athletic as the sophomore, but Wilson said versatility is crucial when it comes to his development as a receiver.

“I love that,” Wilson said when talking about being all over the field this season. “The key to being a receiver is being versatile, playing inside and out. That’s something that I wanted to be able to work on in my game, so moving to the slot this past year and being able to play outside still, I think that’s only gonna benefit me.”

Up until this year, the outside was all Wilson knew. Even so, the transition to the interior has been enjoyable enough for the sophomore that he has come to appreciate his time in the slot more than when he was on the outside.

“Honestly, I’ve played outside so long that I think I’m liking slot a lot more right now,” Wilson said. “I feel like when I’m lining up in the slot I can get some favorable matchups and take advantage of them.”

Wilson has all of the tools to be a big-time playmaker. The athleticism is there, the hands are certainly there, and the concentration was ever-apparent on Saturday.

The second-year receiver said his skill and success on the football field all come back to one common theme: his love for basketball.

“I think just like, handling the ball, going up and getting rebounds- things like that all translate over to football well, and that’s something that I definitely don't forget about,” Wilson said. “I think I owe everything to basketball.”