In Play(er) of the Week, our goal is to highlight outstanding athletes or moments from games that deserve extra attention.

Chase Wilson ’25 is a wide receiver on the Wesleyan football team. In the Cardinals’ outstanding 35–14 victory over Hamilton on Saturday, Sept. 30, Wilson himself had a phenomenal day with 10 receptions, 158 yards, and four touchdowns. All three stats were career highs for Wilson, and his four touchdowns were the most by a Cardinal in a single game since 1998. For his outstanding performance, Wilson was awarded the New England Football Writers Association’s Gold Helmet Award, presented by the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation. The Argus sat down with him to discuss playing his first-ever home game that wasn’t on Andrus Field, the happy accident of his college jersey number, and his hopes for the team’s season going forward.

The Argus: When and why did you start playing football?

Chase Wilson: I’ve been playing football since I was six or seven. They used to have a little Pop Warner league. I used to play a lot of sports when I was younger. It was just one of them.

A: How did you end up coming to Wesleyan?

CW: It was a mixture of [head] coach Dan DiCenzo and, at the time, the wide receivers coach, Kashif Moore. They had reached out to me early my senior year because things were a little tricky because it was COVID time and there was a lot going on, [and] because I had never heard of any NESCAC school. And so I did some research with my dad and we liked what we saw. We liked the combination of athletics and it seemed to be a good school with a good reputation. 

A: Were there any culture shocks coming from the Deep South to New England?

CW: Definitely a little. There are some parts about down south that I wouldn’t say I necessarily don’t not like, but I like [how] it’s definitely a different vibe and energy here. I feel like I adjusted pretty quick, but it’s still new experiences every day, every year.

A: What do you like best about playing on Wesleyan’s football team specifically?

CW: I would say my teammates because we’re all in the same situation playing Division III ball, but we still keep it serious and everybody’s love for the game is shown because we don’t have a lot of the perks that come with playing [Division I] football. But we make the most of it, and it’s always an enjoyable time being around the guys.

A: Talking about your position specifically, what’s your favorite part about playing wide receiver and what’s the hardest part?

CW: Favorite part, I would have to say just catching the ball and trying to make a big play for the team. I always like the feeling of scoring touchdowns. The hardest part, I would say [is] just being on the same page with everybody because there’s a lot of hours and time put in watching film, going over the players, trying to perfect plays, being on the same timing with the quarterback. But the more reps you get at it, the easier it gets. 

A: So your number is six. Is there any significance behind why you picked that number?

CW: Not necessarily. My number in high school was three and that was the number I would have liked. But three was taken when I was committing and, honestly, six was the only single digit left and so I didn’t know if I’d get it. But I put it as my first option just because, and it worked out. I kind of like it because three was high school. Now it’s like two threes put together.

A: What was your experience like making your debut in the Bates game in 2022?

CW: It was exciting having the first game [and] it was nice to be able to do it with the home atmosphere. I still was kind of a backup, but I was just excited to finally play football coming off an injury.

A: This past spring, there was a really big turnover in the leadership with all the seniors who graduated and transferred. So for you personally, what has it been like adjusting to that new leadership and also, as a player, stepping into a bigger role on the field?

CW: It was definitely an adjustment because we lost a lot of big leaders, big-name guys who were around my freshman year. But I think the seniors have done a great job of keeping some of the culture that the previous seniors had while also adapting to the new times and to the new faces. And we still have some guys who have done some time here. We got guys like Justin Lockwood [’24], Colton [Weier ’24], and Ezra Jenifer [’23 MA’24]. 

A: As a receiver, is there any adjustment that has to happen when you’re working with Niko [Candido ’25] as your quarterback full time now? And what has that been like?

CW: It’s been great. My freshman year, me and Niko, we would get reps together [and] we played in a couple JV games together. So I could tell there was chemistry there in the beginning. We had some really good seniors ahead of us but we’ve just been working on that chemistry and relationship and it’s just been getting stronger and stronger every year. And now it’s finally coming to light in varsity games. 

A: This season, overall, what do you think of the team’s performance so far?

CW: I think we’ve shown a lot of good things. There’s still room for improvement, of course, but I think early on, we’ve shown how versatile and how much of a threat we can be on the offensive side of the ball. And then defensively, we have a lot of new guys in my class who are stepping into bigger roles. I think they’re doing a fantastic job and we still got a lot of games to play, but I’m happy with where we’re standing right now.

A: At your Hamilton game, you had 10 catches, 158 receiving yards, and four touchdowns, which is the most by a Cardinal in a single game since 1998. Can you tell me about what your experience was like playing in that game on Citrin Field?

CW: At first it didn’t seem it would be great having to move from our regular home field to [Citrin Field], but due to weather, that was the decision made. But all in all, we practice on that field basically every day. So I was super comfortable pregame warming up. And I think everybody’s comfortable on that field. We wanted to treat it like another day of practice: All our landmarks would be the same, all the plays we practice. I think it just clicked because playing the game on that field, it kinda just started feeling like practice. 

A: For that performance, you received the New England Football [Writers] Association Gold Helmet Award, which is given to the week’s top collegiate football performer in New England across Divisions II and III. What was it like when you got that?

CW: It was super exciting. I wasn’t too familiar with the award but once I had learned that I had won it, I read about it and it felt super cool. It was a really nice honor and it was nice to be recognized for the game that Saturday. 

A: Going forward, you start to face a lot of your stiffer competition in the coming weeks. What is the way you guys find the balance between being confident in your team’s abilities, but also making sure you don’t underestimate any of your opponents?

CW: I think it all starts in practice. Because no matter the opponent we’re playing, whether we generally know it’s a better team or not, it all starts in practice starting on Tuesday. We try to have the best days we can each week. Because if Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday practice are all good and at the level we want to be, then it usually rolls over into Saturday. So that’s always the main focus regardless of the outcome of the previous week. When it’s a new week, we try to focus on the opponent at hand and we don’t look past them. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.