Inspired by his father's love for the game, Wang enrolled at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles County in the fall of 2016. It took him no time to get into the school record books, setting five single-season school records in three seasons, before he made the choice to transfer to Oaks Christian Academy for the 2019 campaign. At Oaks, Wang completed his senior season with 2,426 all-purpose yards, 23 total touchdowns, and was named the team's offensive MVP.
After high school, Wang attended the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, getting his first taste of the post-high school in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. A school far different than that of the high schools he had attended, Wang recalled the new world he was exposed to.
“Most of the kids who go there, that’s their only way out. I remember talking to kids that would go to high school, play football, and after practice would work a graveyard shift at Whataburger until the next morning just because they had to provide money for their family,” Wang recollected. “You see all these different kids from different backgrounds who are so grateful to be there … It makes you more appreciative of life.”
In the summer of 2021, with new football and life experiences under his belt, Wang transferred to Cornell to embark on a new challenge, enrolling in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration and joining the Big Red football program. In his rookie season, Wang appeared in seven games and became the first-ever freshman to score a rushing and passing touchdown in a single game. Despite the early signs of promise, No. 1 finished the season with a 2-5 record, a record he could not accept.
“Freshman year I got my feet wet. I got to play a little and a lot of people would be satisfied with that, but I just wanted more,” Wang said. “Whatever you think is enough is never enough and you can always do more. That’s what I live by.”
