S Donovan Wilson
Wilson was expected to help lead the Aggie defense to do great things alongside Armani Watts at safety, but a leg injury in the opening game against UCLA cut his 2017 season short. The difference was noticeable right away, as the Aggies built a 44-10 lead and couldn’t hold on as Josh Rosen sliced apart the defense in the second half.
The Aggies did not have much depth at safety, and eventually the spot vacated by Wilson was won by true freshman Derrick Tucker. Tucker and Wilson have been manning the two safety spots with the first team defense at camp.
As a fifth-year senior, Elko will look to Wilson to be a leader on defense. Wilson showed his potential early on as a rotation player in 2015 and 2016. He collected over 100 tackles, six interceptions and three sacks in those two seasons. After safety Justin Evans departed for the NFL, 2017 was supposed to be a monster year for Wilson.
Fate had other ideas, but Wilson gets a do-over in 2018 with a more experienced defense.