D.J. Wilkins almost didn’t go out for football this season.
And now he’s the 2015 Post-Tribune Offensive Player of the Year.
Some guys are just good.
The Merrillville quarterback exits the program with the school records for most passing yards (7,215), touchdown passes (63) and completions (517).
His accomplishments are no small feat considering the Pirates’ recent legacy of excellent quarterbacks, which include brothers Jake, Zach and Josh Raspopovich, and Dolapo Macarthy.
Wilkins’ last-minute decision to finish his senior year of football instead of concentrating only on basketball, his main sport, proved to be fruitful.
He completed nearly 61 percent of his passes (223-of-367) while throwing for 3,357 yards. That included 26 TD passes.
Like many great players, he saved his best performance for his final game.
Against Penn, the Class 6A state runner-up, Wilkins completed 22-of-34 for 261 yards and three TDs. The Pirates lost 56-38, but Wilkins left it all on the field against a team that has won 18 straight against Duneland Athletic Conference teams.
“It was unbelievable the way he finished,” Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said. “He has great competitiveness.”
The decision for Wilkins about whether to finish his final season on the field or concentrate only on basketball came down to his teammates. He wanted to be there for them.
“I just didn’t want to let them down,” he said.
In retrospect, Wilkins wonders how good he would’ve been had he started playing earlier or concentrated more on football. He took very few snaps over the summer. Instead, he was traveling all over playing basketball.
Wilkins didn’t go out for football until eighth grade. Though he’s now 6-foot-2 and 155 pounds, his parents prohibited him from playing when he was younger because they thought he was too frail.
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He was a natural, instantly becoming the best QB in his class the day he stepped on the field.
Wilkins spent his freshman season watching Jake Raspopovich play.
And then he stepped in as a star.
Seiss, a first-year coach, knew he had a good player when he first watched film of Wilkins.
It got even better when Seiss actually saw Wilkins throw.
“The film didn’t do him justice,” Seiss said. “He has great arm strength and he makes great decisions.”
Wilkins was elusive enough to run the ball more than he did, but it was never his style. He rushed for 380 yards.
He preferred to spread it around to his receivers.
“I always tried to go through my progressions,” he said. “I watched other teams and the quarterbacks would just look at one guy. I always wanted to try to do what the play was designed for. The receivers worked hard for me day in and day out. I felt like it wouldn’t be right for me to run all the time.”
Wilkins said that there is a good chance he’ll attend prep school next year.
According to Wilkins, Wichita State and Indiana State, two schools that are interested in him for basketball, have asked him to consider prep school so he can get bigger and refine his game.
Twitter: @MikeHuttonPT
Post-Tribune Football Postseason Awards
Sunday: Coach of the Year Jeff Cain of Whiting, All-Area team.
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Today: Offensive Player of the Year D.J. Wilkins of Merrillville.
Tuesday: Defensive Player of the Year.