BYU QB Zach Wilson Explains Who Inspired His Football ‘Swag’

PROVO, Utah – Ask anyone around college football what they like about BYU quarterback Zach Wilson and “swag” and “swagger” will probably be mentioned. Wilson has the look good, feel good, play good mantra down to a science with the way he’s playing for 8-0 BYU right now.

Wilson and the BYU offensive attack are currently seventh in the country in total offense averaging 533.4 yards per game.

On Saturday night, Wilson explained some of the inspiration behind his game day “swag” that consists of a bandana, visor, and arm sleeve on ESPN’s “The Wrap-Up.”

Zach Wilson explains how he started the headband look

Wilson was asked what inspires the headband look?

You know @garystriewski had to come with the headband look to talk to BYU's Zach Wilson 😎 pic.twitter.com/5kK1qFxCv4

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 8, 2020

“That really went back to my freshman year [at BYU]. I think me and my family went shopping at Dick’s Sporting Goods. I just came across the Jumpman logo headband. I knew some guys at Oklahoma rocked it, just because they were sponsored by Jordan brand, and I’m like, ‘Okay, Jordan is technically, Nike still, so I can wear that,” said Wilson. “I really tried to make it my thing, especially for a Nike school. Probably no other Nike official school is wearing something like that. I threw it on, and I loved how it looked hanging out of the back helmet. Ever since then, it’s kind of just been my thing to wear that Jumpman logo headband.”

The Oklahoma quarterback Wilson was referring to was Baker Mayfield. While at Oklahoma, Mayfield would rotate between a Crimson Nike headband and a plain white bandana.

Wilson immediately drew comparisons to Mayfield by yours truly during his freshman season because of the headband and the way he operated at quarterback.

So much Baker Mayfield in Zach Wilson on that last play. #BYU

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) April 7, 2018

Two years later, Wilson has BYU on the cusp of a New Year’s Six bowl and maybe the College Football Playoff; and he keeps making big plays with a lot of swagger along the way.

The inspiration behind Wilson’s football swag

Which begs the question, who does Wilson model his “swagger” after?

“It’s hard to say. As a player, I love how Aaron Rodgers plays. You know, he’s my guy. But as far as his swag, the way he dresses, he doesn’t have any. He has no swag,” Wilson said laughingly. “If he was to wear a cool helmet, get rid of that single-buckle chin strap, shave a little bit, get rid of the baggy sleeves, you know he could have some cool swag going for him. But really, I love Marcus Mariota.”

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Wilson continued, “From college into the NFL. I loved swag the way that he dressed for each game. It was a clean look, he had just two clean stripes under his eyes with the eye black, either some sort of headband, but he always had the cool facemask, cool visor, and then he always mixed it up with the sleeves and the half sleeves on his arms.”

Wilson and his fresh drip and swag will be back in action on November 21st when BYU takes on North Alabama in Provo.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.