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By Kevin Gorman

Published: Saturday, October 27, 2012, 11:30 p.m.
Updated: Saturday, October 27, 2012

Now that he's the most prolific receiver in Western Pennsylvania history, Devin Wilson hopes college coaches take notice.

“I think it will be a really big deal now,” Wilson said. “Teams will be able to see that I have progressed and just keep getting better.”

The Montour senior broke the WPIAL records Friday for receptions (222) and receiving yards (3,120), both set by Seton-La Salle's Carmen Connolly in 2004.

What's most impressive is that this isn't just a career achievement award. Wilson has been unstoppable this fall, as evidenced by his 11 receptions for 168 yards and five touchdowns in Friday's 42-21 victory over Moon.

The 6-foot-4, 182-pound Wilson has 57 catches for 921 yards and 13 touchdowns, all of which rank second in the WPIAL this season. He's also rushed for about 500 yards.

“Everybody in America knows we're giving him the ball, but he knows how to position his body and breaks off routes. You don't see that too often,” Spartans coach Lou Cerro said.

“He's had a great career here, but this year he's been unbelievable.”

Which makes the relative inactivity surrounding his recruitment so confounding. Wilson still has the same scholarship offers — Akron, North Carolina State, Ohio and Temple — as he did at the start of the season.

“Recruiting is still the same,” Cerro said. “Penn State has picked up its interest a lot. That's it right now. It's so bizarre. It's unbelievable. I don't get it.”

Maybe Wilson has to break the state receiving records to draw more interest, which he called “definitely something in my sights.”

Allentown Central Catholic's Kevin Gulyas owns both marks, with 247 catches and 4,201 yards. Then again, Gulyas might be a bad example. Despite his record-setting career, Gulyas is now a freshman at Division I-AA Villanova.

Cerro says Wilson “could have shattered that record long ago” if not for sharing the ball with 1,000-yard rusher Julian Durden and 1,000-yard receiver Darren Massey last year.

What Wilson wants colleges to notice is his improved speed and route running and that he makes plays out of the backfield, in the slot and split wide. Not his so-called shortcomings.

“From what I hear, that's the biggest thing — that I'm not fast enough to get the separation from corners,” Wilson said.

“I don't buy into that. If that was true, I wouldn't have the numbers I do.”

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