Second-year surge: Georgia EDGE Damon Wilson

Georgia’s 2024 roster is set. The winter and spring transfer portal windows are closed and Kirby Smart now knows what players will be on his roster when preseason camp begins around August 1. The Bulldogs will be ranked by most, if not all, as the No. 1 team in the country going into the coming season.

If they’re going to live up to that hype, some guys are going to have to step up in their second seasons with the team. Below DawgsHQ continues a series discussing each player going into their second year with the program. Next up is the crown jewel of UGA’s 2023 class and a guy who might soon make a name for himself.

EDGE Damon Wilson

Size: 6-foot-4 235 pounds

On3 Industry Ranking: No. 20 overall, No. 3 EDGE, No. 5 in Florida

2023 Stats: Wilson played in 12 of 14 games last season and had two roles. He was a reserve outside linebacker for the Bulldogs but he was also a designated pass rusher who got quite a few snaps in the DIME package. Wilson had four total tackles on the year with a half sack and a half tackle for loss.

Wilson strengths and weaknesses

The former five-star prospect is a rare athlete. Wilson has a great frame for an EDGE defender and is one of the most powerful athletes on the team. He has a background in power lifting while also being a tremendously twitcy and explosive defender. Wilson’s get-off as a pass rusher is tremendous. He has a strong understanding of how to set offensive tackles up for initial moves and he is advanced when it comes to counter moves.

Wilson also has the raw speed and explosiveness to blow right by linemen. Almost any pass protector who goes up against him is going to be at a disadvantage athletically.

There are really just two areas for improvement. Mass moves mass and Wilson has to continue to get bigger while maintaining his athleticism. Getting his weight north of 240 pounds would go a long way toward helping him become a three-down player. The Georgia scheme is also multiple and sophisticated. Wilson is going to be asked to do different things and he needs reps to help him become comfortable in those varying situations.

The Buzz…

In checking with sources since the end of spring drills, we found out that Wilson quietly had a really strong five weeks. He showed a lot of improvement as a run defender and he gave some really talented and experienced offensive tackles fits on the practice field. As indicated by the measurements provided by UGA, Wilson was able to add five to 10 pounds of good weight as well.

In 2024…

Wilson is entering a season where he’ll likely have a limited role. Mykel Williams is playing more outside linebacker in 2024 and will get a lot of those first and second-down snaps. The coaching staff also has a lot of trust in Chaz Chambliss to play the run. Wilson should be able to spell those guys on more run-heavy downs but he’s going to get plenty of work in long-yardage and third-down situations. We could definitely see Wilson’s snap count trend up as the year goes on because the more reps he gets as a three-down player, the better he’ll be.

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