Kole Wilson has always thrived on proving what he could do.

Wilson’s goal heading into his senior season was to prove to coaches that he was a Division I talent on the football field and could compete against the best teams in the country.

Wilson went on to lead the Paetow receiving core in catches, yards and touchdowns while helping the team win a state championship.

His work culminated in a number of offers late in the season and after the state championship from Division I teams, and on Wednesday, Wilson made his choice in schools, signing to play at the University of Incarnate Word.

“It was kind of wild,” Wilson said. “I had to wait but I stayed patient, kept my faith in god and I kept playing, kept working. I knew everything would happen for me if I did and thankfully I got recognized.”

Wilson made his presence known in every phase of the game he played in. Along with being Paetow’s leading receiver, he also returned punts for the team. On the year, he returned three punts for touchdowns and averaged over 15 yards per punt return.

He also amassed 51 receptions for 998 yards and 14 touchdowns receiving to go with two rushing touchdowns in his senior year.

“I’ve been working for as long as I can remember for this,” Wilson said. “Since I was like two or three years old I’ve been playing. When I hit high school, I knew it was time to really grind and work every day. I’m just glad it paid off.”

Wilson was drawn to UIW by the coaching staff and the ability to stay in Texas while competing at a high level school.

“The love the coaching staff gave me, it was just great from even before anything,” Wilson said. “It was like a real personal connection and I felt really good with it. Then you add into that the kind of playbook they’re running and the area it’s in being in San Antonio, everything just fell in to place.”

Paetow head coach BJ Gotte had six players sign with collegiate programs during the February signing period, including Wilson and cornerback Michael Jordan, and it meant everything to him as a coach to see his players move on to the next level and earn scholarships.

“I’m just proud of them, happy for them and excited for them,” Gotte said. “It’s the culmination of all their hard work and it’s paying off. To see them get to enjoy this moment with their family, it’s a pretty neat thing.”

It meant everything to Wilson for his hard work to have paid off and knowing that his goal of becoming a Division I athlete will become a reality.

“It’s the best feeling,” Wilson said. “We’ve been dreaming about this since forever, me and my family. So just to actually finally do it, to make it official, it felt great.”