The Miami Hurricanes are dipping back into the SEC talent pool, and once again, they’ve landed a big-time edge rusher with a Georgia connection. This time, it’s Damon Wilson - a former five-star recruit and one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the country last season - who’s headed to Coral Gables by way of Missouri.
Wilson officially announced his transfer to Miami on Thursday, giving the Hurricanes a high-impact defender to help fill the void left by Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. Bain, now NFL-bound, notched five sacks last season, while Mesidor led the team with 12.5. That’s a lot of production to replace, but Wilson brings the kind of juice off the edge that makes defensive coordinators sleep a little easier.
Last season at Missouri, Wilson racked up 54 quarterback pressures and nine sacks - numbers that helped him land at No. 8 overall and No. 3 among edge defenders in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings. Those aren’t just good stats - they’re elite, especially when you consider the level of competition in the SEC. Wilson’s explosiveness and bend around the corner made him a nightmare for offensive tackles, and now he’ll look to bring that same havoc to the ACC.
This isn’t the first time Miami has struck gold with a former Georgia Bulldog. Just this past season, quarterback Carson Beck transferred in after five years in Athens and led the Hurricanes all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Miami came up just short, falling 27-21 to Indiana, but Beck’s impact was undeniable. He finished second in the nation with a 73.3% completion rate and brought a level of poise and precision that elevated the entire offense.
Beck’s road to Miami was a winding one. He started his final two seasons at Georgia, compiling a 24-3 record before an elbow injury in the 2024 SEC title game cut his season short.
Initially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, Beck later withdrew his name and entered the portal, ultimately landing with the Hurricanes. That decision turned out to be a game-changer for Miami.
Wilson’s journey has had its own twists. He began his college career at Georgia and signed a 14-month NIL deal with Classic City Collective Inc. in December 2024.
After playing in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal against Notre Dame on Jan. 2, 2025, Wilson entered the portal and transferred to Missouri.
But that move came with some legal baggage - Georgia filed a $390,000 lawsuit in December, alleging Wilson breached his NIL agreement. Wilson has since countersued, arguing the term sheet he signed wasn’t legally binding.
As of now, both lawsuits remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s efforts to replace Wilson haven’t gone smoothly. The Bulldogs brought in Army transfer Elo Modozie last spring, but he didn’t crack the starting lineup and has since committed to Purdue after entering the portal this January. Georgia has since added Auburn transfer Amaris Williams to shore up the edge position.
Still, the Bulldogs struggled to generate pressure last season, finishing 115th nationally with just 1.43 sacks per game - a total of 20 for the year. That’s a far cry from the havoc-wreaking Georgia fronts we’ve come to expect. They’ll return linebacker Chris Cole, who led the team with 4.5 sacks, along with Raylen Wilson (2.5 sacks) and edge rusher Quintavius Johnson (2.0 sacks), but there’s clearly work to be done.
As for Miami, they’re betting big on Wilson to be the next game-changer in a defense that’s already shown flashes of elite potential. If he can replicate - or even build on - what he did at Missouri, the Hurricanes may have found their next star off the edge.