BALTIMORE — As the new voice of Morgan State University football, Damon Wilson wants his Bears to do one thing above all else: believe.
"You’re looking at a program that hasn’t had success or sustained success over years. So, you have to build up their confidence," said Wilson. "That’s something that we spent a lot of time doing."
Hired as head coach in June after 13 years at Bowie State, Wilson had to quickly get players and replenish a roster that won only 5 games over the past two seasons combined.
"The first thing I had to do was get some bodies in here. We were able to do that," he said. "We came into camp basically with 105 guys on our roster. 47 guys from last spring and an additional 50-some-odd guys that we brought in."
One of those guys is starting quarterback Carson Baker. He is a graduate transfer previously of San Diego State (2018-20) and Western Kentucky (2021).
"He is a guy that can spin it, has some big time college experience, game experience, and I think that will help us this year as well," said Wilson.
"I’ve been around for a while. I’m going to be accurate with the football. I’m going to take care of the football and I’m going to look to make some big time throws," added Baker.
The Bears defense is led by cornerback Jae’Veyon Morton. The returning senior was named to the preseason All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference first team.
"We got some nice players. We got a group of nice players. We got playmakers all around the field. From offensive line to defensive line we got playmakers everywhere," said Morton. "So, it’s going to be an exciting season."
It's a season that begins Saturday down south.
Like the Bears, their game one opponent also has a new leader. Morgan opens the season at Georgia Southern. The Eagles are led by former University of Southern California head coach Clay Helton.
"He is a seasoned coach. He was just at USC last year," said Wilson. "So, he is going to have his guys prepared to play ball."
Wilson will as well when kickoff arrives Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
