Who is Oliver Wilson? Meet the highly-rated prop Wigan Warriors have just signed
After weeks of transfer speculation regarding his future, England international Oliver Wilson is officially a Wigan Warriors player.
The 25-year-old prop has made the move across the Pennines, having signed a four-year contract with Wigan, who paid an undisclosed transfer fee to Huddersfield Giants to secure his services.
Wilson is now officially a Wigan player – as first reported by All Out Rugby League – having inked a deal which will keep him at the Brick Community Stadium until at least the end of the 2029 campaign.
The Warriors have pulled off a major coup to secure the services of Wilson, who, as one of the most highly-rated young middles in the British game, was believed to have attracted interest from several Super League clubs.
And with the Warriors having now confirmed the signing of Wilson, let’s take a further look into Wilson’s career so far, shall we? Wigan Today has taken a deep dive into Wilson’s rise…
The Halifax-born prop came through the academy ranks at Bradford Bulls, making his first-team debut as an 18-year-old back in 2018, helping John Kear’s side win promotion from League 1 to the Championship that year.
At the end of the 2018 campaign, Wilson was part of the England Academy side that defeated the touring Australian Schoolboys, where Wilson played alongside current Wigan trio Harry Smith, Ethan Havard and Sam Walters, as well as former Warriors academy products Morgan Smithies and Joe Shorrocks.
Wilson made another appearance for Bradford in 2019 before being snapped up by Super League side Huddersfield for an undisclosed fee. Initially, he started playing in Huddersfield’s academy side before eventually becoming a first-team regular at the Giants.
The front-rower, who enjoyed loan spells with Halifax Panthers and Bradford in 2020 and 2021 respectively, made his Super League debut for Huddersfield against Salford Red Devils in 2019 and quickly became a mainstay in Huddersfield’s forward pack.
He started in the front-row alongside Chris Hill in Huddersfield’s 16-14 defeat to Wigan in the 2022 Challenge Cup final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Liam Marshall’s try in the 77th minute helping seal Matt Peet’s first trophy in charge of his hometown club.
Wilson spent six seasons donning the claret and gold jersey of Huddersfield, racking up 114 appearances during that time.
And in 2024, Wilson’s career took a major step forward when he received his first international call-up to England’s senior side by head coach Shaun Wane. He featured from the bench to help England clinch a comfortable 40-8 win over France in Toulouse mid-season.
Wilson is also of Ukrainian heritage, and revealed last year that he had been contacted by the Ukraine national team about possibly representing them on the international stage prior to his first England call-up.
The Yorkshireman was born and raised in Halifax but qualifies to represent Ukraine through his maternal grandfather, who moved to England shortly after the Second World War.
In his final season with Huddersfield in 2025, Wilson made 17 appearances in Super League for Luke Robinson’s side, averaging nine carries and 24 tackles per game.
The next chapter of his career awaits at Wigan, where he will enter his prime years as a front-rower and look to add to his solitary England cap.