Georgia Bulldogs and Kirby Smart lose potential star to the Transfer Portal days after College Football Playoff exit
The Georgia Bulldogs are set to lose quite a bit of talent to the 2025 NFL Draft this spring as they often do. Unfortunately, they're also now losing some young potential stars who were supposed to take the place of those talented future NFL greats.Jalon Walker, Malaki Starks, Mykel Williams, and a few other key […]
The Georgia Bulldogs are set to lose quite a bit of talent to the 2025 NFL Draft this spring as they often do. Unfortunately, they're also now losing some young potential stars who were supposed to take the place of those talented future NFL greats.
Jalon Walker, Malaki Starks, Mykel Williams, and a few other key defenders have already announced their intentions to head to the pros. Now, one of the many young former five stars who was set to step into a much larger role in 2025 has announced that he is planning to enter the Transfer Portal.
Though the official window to enter into the Transfer Portal closed December 28th for most, players competing in the College Football Playoff were granted an extension of five days after their season officially ends (in this case with a Georgia loss). Damon Wilson, a former five star edge defender from Venice, Florida is the reported player headed to the portal, with Ohio State (and other blue bloods) among the many teams apparently already interested in his services.
Wilson had forced his way onto the field in 2023 as a true freshman for nearly 100 snaps, which was impressive enough. Then this past season he stepped up and became an integral part of the Georgia defense in 2024. He finished the season with the third most defensive snaps logged among all true edge defenders on the team as he was thrust into a significant role due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart early in the season.
For fans unfamiliar with how promising Wilson looked this year, he finished the season with a 12% pass rush pressure rate, a higher mark than any Georgia edge defender (even Mykel Williams). Wilson was assuredly going to feature as one of the premier talents on the 2025 Bulldogs defense had he chosen to stay. Needless to say it was a bit shocking for many to see him hop in the Transfer Portal following Georgia's College Football Playoff loss.
Bulldogs staff and fans are still waiting for Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins' 2025 NFL Draft declaration decision as of this writing. Veteran Chaz Chambliss is out of eligibility. That means that if Ingram-Dawkins does choose to leave, Georgia will be without their top four edge rushers from this past season as they head into spring practices. Obviously that's not ideal.
Kirby Smart is bringing in some special talents in the 2025 recruiting class like Isaiah Gibson and Chase Linton, but losing a talent like Damon Wilson hurts the Georgia defense, big time. Hopefully Coach Smart and company can miraculously convince Wilson to rescind his Transfer Portal entry and retain him. Otherwise, Georgia is going to need to go transfer hunting, and fast.
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