Damon Wilson earning opportunities with strong showings on practice field
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia signed one of the top recruiting classes in the country last year, and one of the most talented Bulldogs from that class is starting to come into his own. Five-star outside linebacker Damon Wilson showed enough promise to Kirby Smart and company on the scout team recently to be rewarded with more playing time versus Vanderbilt.
“Damon is younger and has shown great promise,” Smart said. “I mean, he’s a player that has ascended in the last two to three weeks in our eyes because he’s worked so hard. I mean, he’s down there on the scout team and they’re coming in every day being like ‘Damon is playing so hard down there.’ He’s given so much effort and he’s given us a great look that you know, we rewarded him and played him more against Vandy because of the work that he did. He continued that into the off week and this week, so he’s doing a good job.”
Wilson was the No. 20 overall player according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Georgia’s highest rated signee. So far this season, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound freshman out of Venice, Fla. has seen action in six games, totaling two tackles. And while the majority of his action has come in Bulldog blowouts, he was on the field for meaningful snaps in the pre-bye week win over the Commodores – one of just 20 total players to see the field on defense.
Wilson’s emergence could come at the right time for the Bulldogs though. Last year, they did a phenomenal job of improving their pass rush after the bye week. With just seven sacks before, Georgia turned up the heat and brought down opposing quarterbacks 28 times in the final eight games. This year, UGA has more through the same number of games entering the bye – 12 in seven outings – with a player like Wilson potentially key to providing a spark down the stretch.
It’s make or break time for freshmen around the country. Kirby Smart describes the mid-season slump that the youngsters oftentimes have as the “freshman wall.” It coincides with what would typically be the end of their high school seasons. However, Smart has also said that to overcome that, he and the rest of the Georgia staff find specific ways to use the talents that the freshmen have to the benefit of the entire team. It provides building blocks for those players as they go into an important offseason of development.
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In the case of Wilson, he just might be pushing through that wall. After all, it’s his performance on a daily basis in practice the forced the hand of Georgia coaches to get him on the field versus Vanderbilt. It’s also impressed his teammates.
“He goes out there every day and gives 110 percent,” offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, who sees Wilson on the opposite side during scout periods, said. “He’s flying around. Never taking a play off even though when they’re looking at him they’re like, ‘Okay, let’s calm down with this play.’ He’s never calm and he’s always going 100 percent. I have a lot of respect for him and the way he works.”
“With Damon, I think it’s kind of learning the game and knowing how he can beat certain people and using his ability,” Ratledge continued. “I think his biggest part is speed and using that to his advantage.”
Wilson will make a trip back to his home state on Saturday with Georgia set to take on Florida. Kickoff time for the annual neutral site rivalry game at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
