Tag: damon wilson

Report: Georgia pass rusher undergoes knee surgery, out vs. FSU

Georgia Bulldogs freshman pass rusher undergoes knee surgery on his meniscus and will miss the Orange Bowl

Georgia Bulldogs freshman outside linebacker Damon Wilson Jr. is out for the Orange Bowl against the Florida State Seminoles after undergoing knee surgery. Wilson Jr. had meniscus surgery, which means he should be ready for the start of the 2024 college football season.

Damon Wilson played in 12 games and recorded two tackles and one-half of a sack as a true freshman. Wilson, a former four-star recruit, was expected to have a larger role in the Orange Bowl because fellow pass rusher Marvin Jones Jr. transferred to Florida State.

The Orange Bowl will be played on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. ET in Miami, Florida. Wilson is one of many players that is expected to miss the Orange Bowl due to an injury, entry into the transfer portal, or decision to opt out.

Graham Coffey of the Players’ Lounge reported Wilson’s surgery.

Georgia Bulldogs: Ranking the reigning champions’ top-10 recruits of 2023

Here are the top 10 highest-ranked players who have committed to their class of 2023.

Georgia is on top of the mountain in college football, having won the last two national championships in convincing fashion.

Maintaining that dominance will be difficult, especially because they’ll be losing some of their best players – such as DL Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith – in the 2023 NFL draft at the end of April.

Keeping ahead of the competition will require head coach Kirby Smart and his staff to continue recruiting the best high school football talent from around the country.

Here are the top 10 highest-ranked players who have committed to their recruiting class of 2023, which ranks No. 2 in the nation.

Thoughts on Ohio State’s disappointing early signing period results

It might have seemed like this was a bad day, but it wasn’t all bad #GoBucks

We all know how yesterday went, in the short term the Buckeyes looked very much like one of the losers of the day. Not only did they not get a verbal from either of the two 5-star prospects they were finalists for, [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei [/autotag] or [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag], they lost [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] as he flipped to [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

To make matters worse, defensive back commit [autotag]Jayden Bonsu[/autotag] is still in the air, having tweeted he signed but no indication with who, [autotag]Miami (FL)[/autotag] being the other potential choice. Oh and transfer tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] chose Oregon over the Buckeyes as well.

It might have seemed like the sky was falling, but that’s not all that we can take away from the start to the early signing period. Find out what I thought about this disappointment and direction of [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] Football.

(Edit: as of 8:32 a.m. it has been reported by multiple outlets that Bonsu has officially signed with Ohio State)

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5-star DE Damon Wilson makes commitment

Five-star pass rusher Damon Wilson has committed to Georgia!

Five-star pass rusher Damon Wilson, who was the nation’s top-ranked uncommitted player in the class of 2023, has committed to the Georgia Bulldogs over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The decision means Kirby Smart and Georgia won a key recruiting battle against Ohio State. The two teams will meet in Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals in Atlanta, Georgia.

Damon Wilson took an official visit to Georgia for the Auburn game. Wilson plans to play in the All-American Bowl.

Wilson plays for Venice High School in Venice, Florida. Venice plays against a high level of high school competition. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge rusher won the 8A state championship in Florida in 2021. Wilson made a clutch interception in the 2021 state title game.

Wilson and Venice fell to Georgia commit Tyler Williams and Lakeland in the 2022 state championship.

The five-star’s recruitment has been very competitive, but ultimately Wilson signed with Georgia football. Georgia also signed  a pair of four-star class of 2023 edge rushers, Gabriel Harris and Samuel M’Pemba.

Syndication: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Wilson is a member of Venice’s weightlifting team. Impressively, Wilson recorded 15 sacks during the 2021 high school football season and was named the Herald-Tribune Defensive Player of the Year, per 247Sports.

The five-star edge rusher is ranked as the No. 13 recruit in the senior class. The Venice standout is the No. 2 edge rusher in the class of 2023 and the No. 3 player in Florida.

Wilson was also considering Miami, Alabama and Texas. The talented edge rusher has been compared to former Georgia outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari.

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Another 5-star defensive end spurns Ohio State, picks Georgia

It hasn’t been an easy early signing period for Buckeye Nation #GoBucks

This was not how the Buckeyes wanted to finish the early signing period.

Yes, they signed defensive end [autotag]Joshua Mickens[/autotag], but they watched five-star California defensive end [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag] pick [autotag]Oregon[/autotag]. About an hour later, they learned [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] flipped from the Buckeyes to [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

There was still another big fish left for [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag], Florida defensive end [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag]. Unfortunately, Wilson selected the Buckeyes’ [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] opponent, Georgia.

This day has clearly been rough on Ohio State for numerous reasons. At one point, this class was a no-doubt top five group, but after a very poor closing, it’s barely hanging on to top 10 status.

After this disastrous finish, [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] has to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to stop this from happening in the future. On the bright side, there are still plenty of talented signees in the class that should have very successful Ohio State careers.

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Ohio State misses on 5-star California defensive end, commits to Oregon

This one hurts #GoBucks

The Buckeyes have long been linked to California defensive end [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag]. They were among his final three schools, but this one was not meant to be. The five-star chose to stay on the West Coast and has signed with [autotag]Oregon[/autotag].

This commitment is a bit surprising, especially since [autotag]USC[/autotag] is in his backyard and was a much more logical choice. The Ducks seemed to be running third in the race for Uiagalelei’s signature but late last night started to get some steam that he would select them.

As for [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag], this one stings. The need for an elite defensive end in this class was paramount and missing out on him hurts the bottom line. Zach Harrison will be off to the NFL, and there would be immediate playing time available for Uiagalelei had he chosen the Buckeyes.

There is still hope Ohio State can add an elite defensive end. Florida’s [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag] will make his choice later Wednesday. However, this one is trending to end up very much like Uiagalelei’s recruitment as the Buckeyes could be left at the altar again.

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5-star edge rusher Damon Wilson is ready to commit

Five-star pass rusher Damon Wilson is the highest ranked uncommitted player in the country.

Five-star pass rusher Damon Wilson is ready to decide where he will play college football. Wilson, the top-ranked uncommitted player in the senior class, is expected to decide between Georgia and Ohio State.

The elite class of 2023 pass rusher will commit at noon ET on ESPN on Dec. 21. Wilson took an official visit to Georgia for the Auburn game.

Wilson plays for Venice High School in Venice, Florida. Venice plays against a high level of high school competition. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge rusher won the 8A state championship in Florida back in 2021. Wilson made a clutch interception in the 2021 state title game.

Wilson and Venice fell to Georgia commit Tyler Williams and Lakeland in the 2022 state championship.

The five-star is favored to sign with Georgia, but his recruitment is very competitive. Kirby Smart and Georgia football have commitments from a pair of four-star class of 2023 edge rushers, Gabriel Harris and Samuel M’Pemba.

Syndication: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Wilson has also participated on the school’s weightlifting team. Impressively, Wilson recorded 15 sacks during the 2021 high school football season and was named the Herald-Tribune Defensive Player of the Year, per 247Sports.

The five-star edge rusher is ranked as the No. 13 recruit in the senior class. The Venice standout is the No. 2 edge rusher in the class of 2023 and the No. 3 player in Florida.

Wilson has also been considering Miami, Alabama and Texas.

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Top uncommitted 2023 recruits ahead of National Signing Day

Here’s a look at the top 10 uncommitted prospects ahead of the early signing period.

The early signing period in college football begins on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Continue reading “Top uncommitted 2023 recruits ahead of National Signing Day”

Ohio State 2023 recruiting wish list ahead of the early signing period

This would be a stellar close to the early signing period #GoBucks

The Buckeyes are looking to finish strong ahead of the early signing period next Wednesday and it’s recently been a mixed bag on the recruiting trail. They gained a quarterback, 2023 [autotag]Lincoln Kienholz[/autotag], and lost one, 2024 [autotag]Dylan Raiola[/autotag], while adding the top 2024 wide receiver, [autotag]Jeremiah Smith[/autotag], between the sign callers decisions.

The focus should be back on the 2023 cycle, [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] has five open scholarships available, with 20 current commitments. The class ranks in the top 10 according all three major recruiting services but there is obviously room to move north.

As the majority of players now sign in this period instead of waiting until the first Wednesday of February, the Buckeyes need to close out this portion of the cycle and move their focus to the 2024 class. These are the five, that the Bucks have a realistic chance at, recruits that I would love the see sign with [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] this coming Wednesday.

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Where Ohio State stands with the last of its top 2023 recruiting targets heading into the early signing period

Where things stand with some of Ohio State’s remaining priority targets for the 2023 class as we get closer to the early signing period.

We are just a few days away from the start of the early signing period for college football, and Ohio State still has some priority targets for the 2023 recruiting cycle that it hopes to land. As it stands, the Buckeyes have a total of 20 verbal commitments it should — barring any drama — get to put pen to paper on Wednesday, but the program is hoping that number grows by a few.

We know of three high-priority targets the Buckeyes are still working on, and here’s the latest of where each stands as we get into the eleventh hour in the high-stakes game and unpredictable nature of big-time college football recruiting.

Ohio State has the No. 7 overall class as it stands right now according to the 247Sports Team Composite rankings, and it looks like a locked-in top ten class that could vault into the top five, but there are sure to be some twists and turns the rest of the way.

Here is where things stand with the three remaining priority targets for the Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023.