ATHENS — Compared to past seasons, Georgia’s 2023 signing class has yet to have someone really pop in the way Brock Bowers did in 2021 or Malaki Starks did a season ago.
It speaks in part to how deep this Georgia team is. The Bulldogs still signed the No. 2 overall class last cycle with four players earning 5-star status.
And as Georgia enters Saturday’s rivalry game against Florida, a few of those talented freshmen could be turning the corner.
Freshman offensive tackle Monroe Freeling could be starting in place of the injured Amairus Mims and Xavier Truss. After a shaky start to his career, kicker Peyton Woodring has connected on 12 of his 15 field goal attempts to this point.
Defensively, it appears outside linebacker Damon Wilson is finally starting to figure things out for the Bulldogs.
“Damon’s younger and has shown great promise,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I mean, he’s a player that has ascended in the last 2-3 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, ‘Dude, Damon is playing so hard down there.’ He’s giving so much effort, and he’s given us a great look.”
Wilson found himself on the field in the first quarter of Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt. While he might be overshadowed by the progress of 5-star sophomore Marvin Jones Jr., it’s still an encouraging sign for Wilson’s development that the coaching staff trusts him enough to play him in the first quarter of an SEC game.
Wilson was Georgia’s highest-rated signee in the 2023 recruiting cycle, as the Bulldogs beat out Ohio State to land the No. 20 overall player in the class.
Perhaps most encouraging for Wilson’s development is that his best work is coming as a member of the scout team. Not every player reacts well when being given that assignment but Wilson’s effort level has helped him continue to grow as a freshman.
“He goes out there every day and gives 110 percent. He’s flying around,” offensive lineman Tate Ratledge said of Wilson. “Never taking a play off even though when they’re looking at him they’re like, ‘ok, 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.”
At times this year, Georgia’s defense has struggled to contain the edges of the defense. Auburn ran for 217 yards against Georgia in large part due to its success in the quarterback run game. If Georgia can continue to develop Wilson and Jones along with getting contributions from junior Chaz Chambliss, the outside linebacker position may no longer be the concern it once was.
Of course, the ability to rush the passer is what many will have their eyes on when it comes to Wilson’s development.
“With Damon, I think it’s kind of learning the game and knowing how he can beat certain people and using his ability,” Ratledge said. “I think his biggest part is speed and using that to his advantage.
It’s worth remembering that this time a year ago Wilson was a high school senior. Bowers and Starks are clearly outliers. It’s part of what makes them so special. For every Bowers though, there are Travon Walker-type players, who don’t become full-time starters until later in their careers.
Walker should enough promise during his freshman season to gradually earn a larger role as a situational player for the Bulldogs. He then came up with a game-ending sack in the team’s win over rival Auburn in 2019.
It’s not entirely fair to compare Wilson to the former No. 1 overall pick, as he’s only just begun to carve out his own career at Georgia. But it’s clear through Wilson’s effort and Smart’s words that the Bulldogs have themselves an ascending player in Wilson.
“We rewarded him and played him more against Vandy because of the work that he did,” Smart said. “He continued that into the off week and this week, so he’s doing a good job.”
