Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Wilson Emerging as a Leader in the Mountaineer Secondary
August 13, 2026 04:51 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Kamari Wilson's experience and production make him a perfect role model for some of the younger players in West Virginia's football program.
At this point in Wilson's career, it's been there and done that.
Four years ago, he was considered one of the top safety prospects in the country and one of Billy Napier's prized recruits at Florida. The Ft. Pierce, Florida, resident was a five-star performer coming out of IMG Academy who turned down offers from Georgia, Alabama and LSU to remain in-state.
His loyalty and ability were rewarded with immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2022.
Wilson's 311 snaps that season were the most by any true freshman FBS safety, resulting in 39 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
The following year, his role diminished significantly, which led to him transferring to Arizona State. He accumulated just 11 tackles in 13 games as a complementary player for the Sun Devils in 2024, requiring another change of scenery.
Wilson's third trip into the transfer portal resulted in a stop at Memphis, where he got an opportunity to showcase the playmaking abilities that once made him the nation's 14th-best overall prospect by 247Sports and ESPN.com.
He was the Tigers' second-leading tackler with 72, while generating four pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Memphis won eight games last season and made an appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Wilson considers each stop important in his overall journey to adulthood.
"When I was younger, I would always look for what's next, but honestly, the process of everything and going through what I went through has built a lot of character in me," he said following Wednesday's practice.
"I would say moving around a little bit, it helped me in a way and just being around a lot of coaches, who I would say are leaders of men," he explained. "They taught me to be a better leader because I've seen a lot of different leaders. At the end of the day, every decision I've made I felt like it was the best decision for me and my family."
When he was a freshman at Florida, he was too young and inexperienced to really understand what was happening to him.
"I was just a regular high school player coming out, and it made me realize I didn't know much," he admitted. "At the time, the DC (Patrick Toney) I had was a very smart dude and he would just pour into me and the thing about it was I was so young, I didn't understand everything that he was telling me until now, which is crazy."
Wilson said he is particularly grateful for the year he spent at Memphis getting his college career back on track.
"It was all about opportunity and who would develop me as a man and be around great people. (Memphis) was a great spot for me, and they definitely developed me as a man, and I developed a lot of character there as well," he mentioned.
What West Virginia was offering him was another shot at playing power conference football in Zac Alley's defensive scheme that Wilson believes is particularly suited for his talents at safety.
"The big reason why I felt West Virginia is the best place for me is because every place that I went I played in a scheme that is all-in-one. There are similar things I do that I already did before, so it's nothing really different for me, it's just a different name," he said.
Wilson also wanted to be challenged personally, and he was aware of coach Rich Rodriguez's reputation as a builder of young men.
Rodriguez's "hard-edge" mantra is something Wilson said he can relate to.
"Just from a young age, and growing up where I came from in Ft. Pierce, Florida, that standard is something I lived and was held to my whole life," he explained. "That's another reason why I came here. I wanted to be challenged, and just like (Coach Rodriguez) says, the better man you are, the better football player you are. That's very important for me."
Up to this point in training camp, Rodriguez has nothing but high praise for his 6-foot, 212-pound senior safety.
"Kamari is going to be a really good football player," the coach offered earlier this week. "He's got a lot of experience, played a lot of football, and it's been a seamless transition here. It feels like he's been around forever because he's got a great personality, and the guys gravitate to him. I've been really pleased with how he's played since he's been here."
Wilson lists his overall competitiveness and his ability to quickly diagnose plays as two of his best attributes.
After that, Mountaineer fans will have to draw their own conclusions.
"I don't really want to spill too much and just let my work show," he said.
"To be a football player, especially in the backend, you've got to be some type of smart," he continued. "(Alley's defense) is complex for the offense because you don't know what we're in, but for the players, it's not complex. There is a standard here and we've got good people; everyone here lives by that standard and the standard is the standard."
Having experience playing in different conferences has helped him better understand the mindsets of the offensive coordinators he's facing.
Wilson explains.
"At each level, the (offensive coordinators') mindsets are different," he observed. "For example, I feel like when we played an SEC team when I was at Memphis, they're going to run their plays no matter what, even if someone leaks their playbook, they're still going to run their plays, and they are going to throw it to the person he was supposed to throw it to.
"I actually like playing teams like that because they're confident in what they're going to do; they are probably not going to make an adjustment and if things get hard, they go back to square one and run their plays," he continued. "At the end of the day, football is football. Going to Memphis made me realize football is just football, no matter what team it is. I'm playing every game like it's the championship game."
In the brief period of time Wilson has been here, he's already assuming a leadership role in the defensive secondary.
"I always consider myself a leader, but leaders have to sit back and get led, too," he said. "Just being around a man who is going to lead and show you how to be a man on and off the field, it built character in me, and it showed me how to be a better leader.
"I know some guys you just can't yell at them in front of everybody - you've got to have a personal relationship with them," he admitted. "You've got to come up to them after the play or after practice and speak to them that way."
This is how Wilson sums up his Mountaineer experience to date, "The thing about West Virginia is this is the closest team I have ever been a part of. It doesn't feel like we're just a bunch of transfers playing just to play. It feels like a family here - from coaches to janitors to cooks. We know everyone's name and we talk to everyone."
The big family wrapped up practice No. 8 of fall training camp earlier today up on the Steve Antoline Family Practice field in full pads. A light practice in helmets is scheduled for Friday ahead of Saturday morning's closed scrimmage inside the stadium.
Media members will be permitted a short window to observe practice, take pictures and shoot video on Friday morning and then Rodriguez, an assistant coach and players to be determined will be made available afterward in the Milan Puskar Center team room.
At this point in Wilson's career, it's been there and done that.
Four years ago, he was considered one of the top safety prospects in the country and one of Billy Napier's prized recruits at Florida. The Ft. Pierce, Florida, resident was a five-star performer coming out of IMG Academy who turned down offers from Georgia, Alabama and LSU to remain in-state.
His loyalty and ability were rewarded with immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2022.
Wilson's 311 snaps that season were the most by any true freshman FBS safety, resulting in 39 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
The following year, his role diminished significantly, which led to him transferring to Arizona State. He accumulated just 11 tackles in 13 games as a complementary player for the Sun Devils in 2024, requiring another change of scenery.
Wilson's third trip into the transfer portal resulted in a stop at Memphis, where he got an opportunity to showcase the playmaking abilities that once made him the nation's 14th-best overall prospect by 247Sports and ESPN.com.
He was the Tigers' second-leading tackler with 72, while generating four pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Memphis won eight games last season and made an appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Wilson considers each stop important in his overall journey to adulthood.
"When I was younger, I would always look for what's next, but honestly, the process of everything and going through what I went through has built a lot of character in me," he said following Wednesday's practice.
"I would say moving around a little bit, it helped me in a way and just being around a lot of coaches, who I would say are leaders of men," he explained. "They taught me to be a better leader because I've seen a lot of different leaders. At the end of the day, every decision I've made I felt like it was the best decision for me and my family."
When he was a freshman at Florida, he was too young and inexperienced to really understand what was happening to him.
"I was just a regular high school player coming out, and it made me realize I didn't know much," he admitted. "At the time, the DC (Patrick Toney) I had was a very smart dude and he would just pour into me and the thing about it was I was so young, I didn't understand everything that he was telling me until now, which is crazy."
Wilson said he is particularly grateful for the year he spent at Memphis getting his college career back on track.
"It was all about opportunity and who would develop me as a man and be around great people. (Memphis) was a great spot for me, and they definitely developed me as a man, and I developed a lot of character there as well," he mentioned.
What West Virginia was offering him was another shot at playing power conference football in Zac Alley's defensive scheme that Wilson believes is particularly suited for his talents at safety.
"The big reason why I felt West Virginia is the best place for me is because every place that I went I played in a scheme that is all-in-one. There are similar things I do that I already did before, so it's nothing really different for me, it's just a different name," he said.
Wilson also wanted to be challenged personally, and he was aware of coach Rich Rodriguez's reputation as a builder of young men.
Rodriguez's "hard-edge" mantra is something Wilson said he can relate to.
"Just from a young age, and growing up where I came from in Ft. Pierce, Florida, that standard is something I lived and was held to my whole life," he explained. "That's another reason why I came here. I wanted to be challenged, and just like (Coach Rodriguez) says, the better man you are, the better football player you are. That's very important for me."
Up to this point in training camp, Rodriguez has nothing but high praise for his 6-foot, 212-pound senior safety.
"Kamari is going to be a really good football player," the coach offered earlier this week. "He's got a lot of experience, played a lot of football, and it's been a seamless transition here. It feels like he's been around forever because he's got a great personality, and the guys gravitate to him. I've been really pleased with how he's played since he's been here."
Wilson lists his overall competitiveness and his ability to quickly diagnose plays as two of his best attributes.
After that, Mountaineer fans will have to draw their own conclusions.
"I don't really want to spill too much and just let my work show," he said.
"To be a football player, especially in the backend, you've got to be some type of smart," he continued. "(Alley's defense) is complex for the offense because you don't know what we're in, but for the players, it's not complex. There is a standard here and we've got good people; everyone here lives by that standard and the standard is the standard."
Having experience playing in different conferences has helped him better understand the mindsets of the offensive coordinators he's facing.
Wilson explains.
"At each level, the (offensive coordinators') mindsets are different," he observed. "For example, I feel like when we played an SEC team when I was at Memphis, they're going to run their plays no matter what, even if someone leaks their playbook, they're still going to run their plays, and they are going to throw it to the person he was supposed to throw it to.
"I actually like playing teams like that because they're confident in what they're going to do; they are probably not going to make an adjustment and if things get hard, they go back to square one and run their plays," he continued. "At the end of the day, football is football. Going to Memphis made me realize football is just football, no matter what team it is. I'm playing every game like it's the championship game."
In the brief period of time Wilson has been here, he's already assuming a leadership role in the defensive secondary.
"I always consider myself a leader, but leaders have to sit back and get led, too," he said. "Just being around a man who is going to lead and show you how to be a man on and off the field, it built character in me, and it showed me how to be a better leader.
"I know some guys you just can't yell at them in front of everybody - you've got to have a personal relationship with them," he admitted. "You've got to come up to them after the play or after practice and speak to them that way."
This is how Wilson sums up his Mountaineer experience to date, "The thing about West Virginia is this is the closest team I have ever been a part of. It doesn't feel like we're just a bunch of transfers playing just to play. It feels like a family here - from coaches to janitors to cooks. We know everyone's name and we talk to everyone."
The big family wrapped up practice No. 8 of fall training camp earlier today up on the Steve Antoline Family Practice field in full pads. A light practice in helmets is scheduled for Friday ahead of Saturday morning's closed scrimmage inside the stadium.
Media members will be permitted a short window to observe practice, take pictures and shoot video on Friday morning and then Rodriguez, an assistant coach and players to be determined will be made available afterward in the Milan Puskar Center team room.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballWednesday, August 12
Wednesday, August 12
Wednesday, August 12
Wednesday, August 12
