HOLLAND, Mich. — “This has been a dream of mine my entire life so, I knew going into Ferris that this was the goal,” said Xavier Wade JR.
From West Ottawa High School, to playing six years at Ferris State, Xavier Wade had declared for the NFL Draft and awaits the phone call he’s always dreamed of
“Just whoever does end up calling, I’m just going to be happy and they’re going to get the best version of me,” said Wade.
Through his time with the Bulldogs, Xavier won two national championships, and in 2023 was the No. 1 wide receiver in the GLIAC with 77 yards per game, 20 yards per catch and 12 touchdowns last season.
“Playing at Ferris, it prepared me really well. Everyone on the team is really good so the competitiveness is really high but that’s good because everyone in the NFL is just as good, if not better,” said Wade.
He hopes to join a long list of former Ferris players now in the pros and has head Head Coach Tony Annese to help guide him through the process.
“I can call him at any given time and he can pick up and tell me what I need to hear. Not always what I want to hear, but what I need to hear. And you need people like that in your circle. We’ve also had a lot of other players going to the nil and I thank them because they paved the way for me to even be in this position right now. So I want to do that for the next one who comes out of Ferris,” said Wade.
Since leaving Big Rapids, he has been training at MVP in Holland to stay in shape and improve his overall strength and speed. Xavier is confident that his skills will catch the eye of an NFL team and he’ll be primed for that call.
“You’re always going to get more than 115% of effort from me. I’m going to show up on time, I’m going to work hard. I’m going to pay attention to the details and things like that. And I’m just going to be ready when my number is called,” said Wade.
The NFL draft starts on Thursday, April 25th at 8pm. Fox 17 will have live coverage of the event in Detroit.
