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HOOVER, Ala. — Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk wasn’t on the field at the time, but he didn’t need to be to see the massive hit Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson laid on his teammate Speedy Noil last season in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
If Kirk hadn’t seen it, he would have still heard it.
Wilson leveled Noil in perhaps the biggest hit of last year’s college football season, meeting the wide receiver at the 14-yard line during a kick return. First came a thud, as Wilson collided into Noil high, lifting him off his feet. The brutal blow was followed by a thunderous oooh from the crowd.
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The play was later disputed as to whether Mack Wilson should have been penalized for targeting. However, a flag was never thrown.
As far as Kirk, who returns kickoffs and punts as well, those type of hits are just part of the job.
“He made a good play, that’s a big-time hit,” Kirk said Wednesday during SEC Media Days. “Those are the type of hits you have to expect to take when you’re playing top-tier teams like that in the SEC. They got big guys like that running down. They’re big 250-pound linebackers running down, trying to take your head off.”
Wilson actually weighed 244 pounds at the time and has since slimmed down to 236 pounds this summer. However, Kirk’s point still stands — the thought of a hard hitter like Wilson coming at you at any size is a frightening proposition.
Even fellow Texas A&M defensive back Armani Watts couldn’t help but watch in amazement as Wilson exploded into Noil. After all, those are the type of hits every defender dreams of making.
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“You don’t really expect to make hits like that, it just comes,” Watts said. “If you try to force hits like that, you could end up throwing your body and missing. I’ve done it a couple times. As a defender, if you get that opportunity, you can’t miss it.”
The crazy thing was Wilson wasn’t done.
Later in the game, the linebacker provided another bone-crunching tackle, stopping Justin Evans dead in his tracks on another kick return. Even Watts admits while he certainly doesn’t enjoy seeing his fellow teammates get rocked on the field, watching someone deliver hits as big as Wilson’s is a thing of beauty.
“Oh yeah, it’s always nice seeing a good hit,” Watts said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, a good hit is a good hit. You got to respect it.”
Entering his sophomore season, Wilson has not only garnered respect from his opponents but also from the Alabama coaching staff. Serving primarily on special teams last season, Wilson tallied eight tackles and one quarterback hurry. He also served in the H-back role on offense when the Crimson Tide was near the goal line and even snagged a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts against Kent State.
This spring, the Montgomery, Ala., native spent time at inside linebacker with the second-team defense while Keith Holcombe replaced injured Shaun Dion Hamilton on the Tide’s first-team unit. Wilson took advantage of the opportunity, recording five tackles, one for a loss, with a pass breakup during Alabama's A-Day game.
“Mack has had a really good summer. We have a lot of confidence in his ability,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I think he's starting to mature and develop the confidence and understanding in the system, to have a role, and be a good player for us. So we're excited about him making a contribution, you know, at that position. And he's so athletic, that maybe we could even develop him as a rusher because he is a very explosive guy.”
SEC quarterbacks and other potential victims — take note.
