What Does Georgia Transfer Damon Wilson Bring to the Table for Mizzou Football?
The Missouri Tigers landed a massive commitment in fifth-ranked and former five-star Damon Wilson from Georgia.
Wilson's commitment is huge for many reasons. The Tigers out-recruited Ohio State and Texas to land the coveted transfer, for starters. There are certainly unknown NIL implications that more than likely made an impact as well. He should be a day-one starter for the Tigers in a stacked defensive line room.
The prized transfer brings a ton to the table for the Tigers. Here's the scoop on what to expect from Georgia transfer Damon Wilson.
The Basics
Those high rankings were all for good reason. He was the No. 17 ranked player in the class of 2023 according to 247Sports and the same site ranked him as the fifth-best player in the transfer portal during this offseason cycle.
Wilson is a Nokomis, Fla. native who stands at 6-foot-4, 250-pounds. As far as measurables go, he has everything you would look for.
The former five-star recorded 22 tackles and three sacks for the Bulldogs this season, adding a pair of forced fumbles and recoveries to that in his sophomore season. Wilson was an immediate impact player for the Bulldogs and will look to carry that over to Columbia. He has two years of eligibility remaining and projects as a day-one starter for the Tigers.
Run Defense
A lot of Wilson's ability to get downhill and secure running backs in the backfield is due to his natural athleticism. He has the bend and plenty of moves to get around tackles, as well as the instincts.
Instinctually, Wilson is as impactful run defender that you will find. Once he gets past his first guy and into the backfield, he's calm and collected. With that, he's also extremely patient and sometimes even too much so. Wilson isn't afraid to sit in a gap for a second or two to make his decision.
This is evident in his 22 tackles this season, 13 of which were all by himself. There isn't much doubt that he will finish the job once he gets back there.
Pass Rush Moves
There is no doubt that Wilson has the moves to get to the quarterback. His rip and chop seem to be his go-to moves against larger offensive tackles with a swim move in his back pocket.
Wilson is excellent at utilizing a tackle's leverage to his advantage. It determines how he will bend around or under a certain offensive lineman on a snap. That's when his swim move comes into play most frequently.
He also has the hand placement and movement to continue to improve getting to quarterbacks. He's not too grabby and normally knows what he can get away with as far as a penalty flag goes.
Wilson has the athleticism to win off his speed and first step. In fact, it's something he should probably rely on more. He's a gifted athlete and has great straight-line speed, which is something he can and should fall back on while continuing to evolve his bag of tricks.
Athleticism
Athletes don't earn a five-star national ranking if they aren't naturally gifted and athletic. That's exactly the case for Wilson and his athletic profile, which jumps off a page. 6-foot-4 and 250-pounds is a sound build for an edge and is similar to others at the position for the Tigers, like Johnny Walker Jr., Darris Smith and Jahkai Lang.
Wilson tested at a 4.5-second shuttle run in high school and jumped over 10 feet in a broad jump test. His speed jumps out on the tape in one-on-one tackling situations and the closing speed is clearly there.
Not only that, Wilson was an impressive powerlifter in high school. He bench-pressed 370-pounds at one point. That speaks for itself. 247Sports states that he broke multiple powerlifting records for Venice High School.
All of those achievements and more landed Wilson on 247Sports '2023 Freaks List", a list compiled of the most physically and athletically gifted players in each high school class. He landed at the No. 4 spot on that list.
Finisher
Rarely will you see Wilson not finish a play. If he's beaten by a tackle, so be it. If he has a chance to get to the quarterback or whoever's in the backfield, odds are Wilson is getting there.
Given the moves he has to get to running backs, quarterbacks, or whoever is in the backfield at any given moment, it makes finishing the job a whole lot easier. He's a technically sound tackler and wraps up consistently. He has the closing speed to track down quicker offensive players as well.
Read More Missouri Tigers News:
Georgia EDGE Damon Wilson Transferring to Mizzou
What Does Mizzou Football Carry Over to the 2025 Season? - The Extra Point
All Things Mizzou Podcast: Recapping the Tigers' Transfer Portal Additions