Damon Wilson Takes Us Inside Morgan State Football's 3-1 Resurgence

BALTIMORE – Damon Wilson challenged his players after Morgan State beat Virginia-Lynchburg to end Towson's hold on their neighborhood rivalry. The Tigers had controlled the series on the field and on the recruiting trail. It was time for the Bears to wake from hibernation and fight back.

A week later, Morgan State delivered a 41-26 statement victory that ended a 17-year drought against Towson.

Morgan State changed the narrative on Sept. 19, defeating Towson 41-26 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in the Battle for Greater Baltimore. The Bears improved to 3-1 for the first time since 2009, and the result fit the larger turnaround Wilson has been pushing.

During a bye-week appearance on the HBCU Legends Podcast with host Kyle T. Mosley and guest co-host Ray Rogers of HBCU Pass/Urban Sports Scene, Wilson explained how the breakthrough win fit his program's direction and where the Bears are headed this season.

“They’ve had the upper hand in recruiting when it comes down to Towson or Morgan,” Wilson said. “They could say they beat us, and they could say they beat us for a number of years. It’s not a rival when one team is winning all the time. So we got to balance this thing up some.”

Ending the Towson Drought was Expected

For Wilson, the stakes extended beyond one Saturday. The schools sit a few miles apart and compete for many of the same recruits, so the result carried weight on and off the field and into the program’s bigger picture.

After Morgan State’s win over Virginia-Lynchburg, he made his expectations clear.

“I told the guys after the Lynchburg game that it’s enough,” Wilson said. “This Towson thing is over with. I’m tired of it. And that’s something that they took to heart, and they went out and played well.”

The Bears’ previous win over Towson came the same year Wilson became head coach at Bowie State.

“I got some 17-year-olds on my team,” Wilson said. “So they weren’t born. That’s how long ago it was.”

Quarterback Cameron Edge completed 14 of 23 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns against Towson, earning MEAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Keith Jenkins Jr. delivered another decisive play, returning a fourth-quarter kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Wilson said Jenkins, an All-American return specialist before an injury cost him most of last season, has returned with greater maturity and focus.

The Bears also blocked a field goal in the second half. Wilson said it was their third blocked kick of the season.

“The guys understand just because a team gets in scoring position does not mean they have to score,” Wilson said. “That extra point does not need to be guaranteed. That field goal attempt does not need to be guaranteed. That can change the momentum of a game.”

Morgan State Bears head football coach Damon Wilson. | Morgan State Football

Winning Up Front

Morgan State, currently ranked 5th in the FCS with 14 sacks led by Donovan Moyer, recorded five against Towson and limited them to 61 rushing yards.

Wilson credited defensive line coach Ramal Faunteroy and a rotation deep enough to keep a dozen linemen fresh.

“We play about 12 guys a game at the defensive line, and they understand the mission, and that’s to stop the run and to punch the quarterback,” Wilson said. “We’re only going to go as far as our bigs take us.”

The offensive line also delivered when the Bears needed to run the ball late, Wilson said.

In the secondary, Joshua Narh earned the Aeneas Williams Award HBCU Defensive Back of the Week honor for Week 3. Wilson said Narh began his career as a walk-on from DuVal High School and was recruited by coach Melvin Coleman, another DuVal graduate.

“He’s undersized, but he’s as smart and fast as you want him,” Wilson said. “He’s a great program guy, engineering major. He’s a guy that is definitely going to be successful in life.”

Cameron Edge Sets the Tone

Edge began his college career at Maryland and transferred to Morgan State from Eastern Michigan. Wilson pointed out that his leadership helped him separate himself in a deep quarterback room during the summer position battle.

“If I show up at 5:30 a.m., Cam is right there at the door already at 5:15,” Wilson said.

The coach eventually told quarterbacks coach Tyrae Reid to give Edge a key to the building.

Edge sets the tone as the Bears' leader. Not only is he the first player at practice, but he also is the first to evaluate his game performance.

After the Towson victory, Wilson said, the quarterback’s first observation concerned a missed throw on a route. Edge also brings play suggestions to the staff.

“He’s like adding another coach on the staff that is on the field that’s playing,” Wilson said. “No moment is going to be too big for him.”

Erick Hunter and Elijah Williams Carry the Message to the NFL

Two former Morgan State defenders have signed NFL contracts and are currently on active rosters.

Bears linebacker Erick Hunter signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. After a productive training camp and preseason games, the team released him in the final cuts, hoping to sign him to its practice squad.

However, the New England Patriots called with an offer he could not refuse: join their 53-man roster.

Defensive lineman Elijah Williams in his second NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings. He’s outplayed drafted and veteran players to land on the team’s 53-man roster again in 2026.

Wilson said Hunter was preparing to join Detroit’s practice squad when other teams called. Hunter was inactive in Week 1 and active in Week 2, Wilson said.

“When you’re in that preseason mode, you’re not just auditioning for that team,” Wilson said. “You’re trying out for the other 31 teams as well.”

Williams and Hunter show what player development looks like at Morgan State. Williams arrived as a linebacker and moved to the defensive line. Hunter came in as a safety and moved to linebacker. Both stayed, developed into NFL players, and left with their degrees. That's a recruiting pitch Wilson can back up.

“It’s great when you have guys that can get it done in the classroom, get it done on the field and stay in one spot doing it,” Wilson said. “In today’s landscape, it’s tough to have a guy for four to five years.”

Wilson allowed Hunter to sit in on coaches’ meetings, giving him an early look at the preparation expected at the professional level.

“You can’t become a pro when you get there,” Wilson said. “You got to be a pro now.”

Still, Wilson measures his impact in ways that extend beyond NFL opportunities. He sees the same throughline in the relationships he builds with his players and the program he is trying to shape.

“As coaches, we don’t get a raise, we don’t get an extension regarding guys going to the National Football League,” Wilson said. “But my joy and my extension is when those guys invite me to their wedding, when they invite me to the baby shower. That’s when you know you had a positive impact on those young men.”

Hunter and Williams' success, alongside Morgan State’s four Pro Football Hall of Famers, gives Wilson a recruiting message rooted in both the program's past and present and tied to what he wants now.

"We have guys that's living it right now, and I think that's really helping us from a recruiting standpoint along with the history," Wilson said.

Coach Damon Wilson - Morgan State Football — Coach Damon Wilson | MSU Athletics

A Coach Close to Home

Wilson said he has spent about 28 years coaching college football. Born in Northeast Washington, D.C., he attended Suitland High School in Maryland and has spent most of his adult life in the state, apart from seven years at Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.

He led Bowie State from 2009 through 2021 before taking over at Morgan State.

Rogers noted Wilson's commitment to keeping local coaches on his staff and maintaining relationships throughout the region. Wilson credited coaches such as Mike Locksley and Henry Frazier with opening doors for him early in his career.

"Somebody did it for me," Wilson said. "It's my responsibility, my obligation to do those things."

The Towson victory also came during a difficult personal week. Wilson said his uncle, whom he described as a second father, died the day before the game, while his father died several years ago.

Wilson credited both men with helping lay the foundation for his career and his cousin Dennard Wilson's, the New York Giants defensive coordinator.

"It's about what you do with that dash, the year you were born and the year you leave this earth," Wilson said. "What I try to do is take advantage of every second I have in that dash to impact folks' lives in a positive manner."

Lessons from Falling to Arizona State

Morgan State took its lumps in a 70-7 loss at Arizona State on Sept. 5. Wilson put the result in perspective: The gap between FCS and FBS programs extends beyond HBCU football. What mattered next was how his Bears responded. They answered with back-to-back wins.

"Take away the HBCU part," Wilson said. "That's something that I think we kind of do too much in certain situations. FCS is FCS."

Wilson said Morgan State played about 30 true freshmen against Arizona State. The effort he saw on film, even in a decisive loss, carried into the victories that followed and into the standard he wants his team to keep.

"If you're associated with Damon Wilson, there ain't gonna be no quit," Wilson said. "We're gonna fight."

Bears to Know

Wilson was cautious about singling out players, noting that opposing programs recruit from podcasts and preseason lists. Still, he identified several contributors, including offensive linemen Evan Cooke and Kelton Sparks, defenders Kristopher Boyd and Arturo Mattocks, and receivers Justin Perry, Joseph Towler, and Joseph Kennerly Jr.

He also said receiver Malique Leatherbury is healthy and should expect more opportunities.

"He will get the ball next week. I promise you that," Wilson said. "It's a Leatherbury day coming up."

Sharing those opportunities requires the selfless approach Wilson wants throughout the roster and the consistency he wants across the program.

"If you're gonna have a winning program, you have to be happy for your teammate when he has success," he said.

What's Next for Morgan State

Morgan State visits Villanova on Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+. The Wildcats are playing their first season as an associate football member of the Patriot League.

Wilson said Villanova is a closer comparison to Towson than Arizona State. The trip also carries a personal connection for offensive coordinator Apollo Wright, who previously coached at Villanova. Rogers will call the game on Morgan State's radio broadcast.

The Bears then host Robert Morris for homecoming Oct. 10, visit Tennessee State on Oct. 17, and face Howard.

"You look up and down the schedule, you don't see, okay, that's an easy win," Wilson said. "You got to bring your game every week."

Ending the Towson drought gave Morgan State a breakthrough. Wilson's expectations reach further.

"We're going to graduate our student-athletes but also put a really competitive championship program on the field," he said.

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