John Parker Wilson John Parker Wilson ( born October 17 , 1985 ) is an American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers . Wilson played college football at the University of Alabama . He went undrafted during the 2009 NFL Draft before signing with the Atlanta Falcons . College career . Freshman . After leading Hoover High School to high school state titles in 2002 and 2003 , Wilson accepted a scholarship offer to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide . At the time , he also had scholarship offers from several Southeastern Conference schools , including Alabama ' s rival , Tennessee . He saw limited playing time during his freshman year , backing up full - time starter Brodie Croyle . His first career touchdown came against South Carolina , a 36 - yard pass to wide receiver Keith Brown , in Alabama ' s 37 – 14 rout of the Gamecocks . He would finish the season with only 98 yards and two touchdowns . Sophomore . In 2006 , Wilson started all 12 games for the Crimson Tide . He finished the season with a passing efficiency of 128 . 92 , completing 216 – of – 379 passes for 2 , 707 yards , 17 touchdowns and ten interceptions . He threw for over 200 yards in the first seven games of the season , setting a new school record , and finished with a school record nine 200 - yard games . Junior . In 2007 , Wilson started 13 games for Alabama . His passer rating was 114 . 6 , completing 255 – of – 462 passes for 2 , 846 yards , 18 touchdowns ( a school record ) and 12 interceptions . He was sacked 25 times during the season . His best performance was against rival Tennessee , in which he completed 32 of 46 passing attempts for 367 yards and three touchdowns . Another notable performance was his winning touchdown against Arkansas with eight seconds left in the game . Senior . In his senior season , Wilson was again the starting quarterback , ahead of Greg McElroy . He led the Crimson Tide to a 12 – 2 season , with victories against # 9 - ranked Clemson Tigers , # 3 – ranked Georgia Bulldogs , and # 15 - ranked LSU Tigers . In the regular season finale , he led Alabama to 36 – 0 victory over in - state rival Auburn , ending a six - game losing streak to the Tigers . After finishing the regular season 12 – 0 , # 1 Alabama eventually lost to # 2 Florida in the SEC Championship Game . In the 2009 Sugar Bowl , Alabama was defeated by the Utah Utes , 31 – 17 . Wilson holds every significant passing record in Alabama school history . Professional career . Atlanta Falcons . Wilson was signed by the Atlanta Falcons after going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft . He did not play in any regular season games . Wilson played most of the game during the 2010 pre - season game against the New England Patriots . He assisted in scoring one touchdown during that game . He was released during final cuts on September 3 , 2011 , and re - signed to the Falcons ' practice squad the following day . On December 2 , 2011 it was reported that the Vikings tried to sign John Parker Wilson off of the Falcons practice squad . Instead John Parker Wilson chose to sign to The Falcons 53 man roster . On August 26 , 2012 he was waived by the Falcons in order for the team to maintain a league mandatory 75 man roster during the preseason . Jacksonville Jaguars . Wilson was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad on September 1 , 2012 . He was promoted to the active roster on October 27 and released on October 29 . He was signed back to the practice squad on October 31 . Wilson was signed to the active roster after the conclusion of the 2012 season . He was released on February 27 , 2013 . Pittsburgh Steelers . One day after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars , the Pittsburgh Steelers claimed Wilson off of waivers . The Steelers were the only NFL franchise to make a claim for Wilson .