Mizzou loses star defensive end to the transfer portal
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou football is losing one of its top defensive players to the transfer portal.
On Tuesday, defensive end Damon Wilson confirmed on his Instagram that he is entering the transfer portal after one season in Columbia.
He made the most of that first year as a Tiger, after transferring in from Georgia. The Florida native ended the 2025 campaign with 23 total tackles (14 solo), 9.5 tackles for loss, a team-best 9.0 sacks, one forced fumble, 13 quarterback hurries, a pair of pass breakups and one interception against Vanderbilt.
Wilson ranked No. 8 nationally among edge rushers in pass rush productivity by Pro Football Focus.
With his decision, Wilson is now the 22nd player from the 2025 Mizzou roster to decide to hit the portal.
It's a less than ideal result for Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz. He will return defensive ends Darris Smith, Langden Kitchen and Daeden Hopkins for the 2026 campaign, but Wilson was set to be one of the centerpieces of the defense.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end's decision comes at an interesting time for him, personally. Wilson will go test the transfer waters in the midst of a legal battle against his former school, due to an Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) dispute.
On Dec. 5, ABC 17 learned that the University of Georgia was suing Wilson for $390,000, saying that he exited his contract with the University's NIL collective early. However, less than a month later, on Dec. 23 Wilson filed a countersuit against the Bulldogs alleging that the contract he signed was never legally binding and that Georgia harassed him after he announced his intentions of transferring.
