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E ddy Wilson is tired of the "P" word, so sick of it he might flip out if he hears it any more. Eddy Wilson has so much potential. Eddy Wilson would be great if only he could focus. The potential is there. Eddy Wilson needs to mature, then he could really reach his potential. To him, he hears it and thinks only that he's fallen short so far. But he's turned that into fuel, as the ju- nior defensive tackle attempts to put it all together to silence those who talk about what he could be. He wants the talk to be about what he is. "I just heard it so much, that I have so much po- tential," Wilson said. "Actually, I'm getting tired of hearing that I have so much. I want to put it to use. I'm all in, ready to go." Wilson is over it, but it is un- doubtedly true. The 6-foot-4, 300-plus-pounder has huge up- side, showing flashes of his ability the last two years, but he's nearly thrown it all away, too. It was De- cember that he was off the roster and seemingly off the team — Pur- due even confirmed it — but in only a matter of weeks he was able to clear up his academic issues. And by the start of the year he had been reinstated, clearing him to resume as a starter on the interior of Pur- due's defensive line for the spring. Wilson then described the epi- sode as a "personal, off-the-field" matter. "Really, I just had to get some things in order," he said. "I'm re- ally thankful to Coach (Jeff) Brohm and his staff, all the coaches who reached out to me in that time. I wasn't looking to go anywhere (else), was just looking to get some things in order. "I'm really thankful to those guys because they immediately reached out to me to make sure I got everything done to get back on the roster. And that's that." But Wilson's still a work in progress, on the field and perhaps more importantly off of it. The Detroit native is working on his ability to focus on all aspects of his life, like making sure he gets to his classes — defensive graduate assistant Joe Montag walks him there occasionally — and manages his academ- ic time. When he does those things correctly, it helps with his athletic performance, because the tools he's trying to apply to his personal life are applicable to Silencing The Talk Tom Campbell Eddy Wilson has had an eventful offseason, from being temporarily banished to being reinstated. Now, he wants a big 2017 season. GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 6 41