Missouri defensive star Damon Wilson filed a lawsuit against Georgia after Georgia filed a lawsuit against him. His decision to fight back sets up a groundbreaking legal battle over NIL in college football.
Who gets to keep the money?!
The outcome of this unprecedented court case will change the landscape of college football forever. A win for Wilson is a win for the players. A win for the Bulldogs is a win for the schools.
Damon Wilson transferred to Missouri.
Damon Wilson II was ranked as one of the 20 best players in the recruiting Class of 2023. The five-star edge rusher out of Venice High School in Florida ultimately committed to Georgia over Ohio State and Alabama. It was a big win for the Bulldogs. They paid him a lot of money alongside his commitment.
Although Wilson did not factor into the starting lineup as a freshman in 2023, he burst onto the scene with 22 total tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles as a sophomore in 2024. His breakout season set him up for a big pay day.
The rising junior signed a new financial agreement with Georgia’s NIL collective around this time last year. He received $30,000 from the brokerage as part of a 14-month contract. His new contract was set to pay him that same amount, monthly, until its expiration— along with two additional $40,000 bonuses.
And then Wilson transferred to Missouri, where he was the biggest defensive star in 2025.
Georgia filed a lawsuit.
According to ESPN, the athletic department at the University of Georgia asked a judge to force Damon Wilson to enter into arbitration to “settle a claws in his former contract that serves effectively as a buyout fee for exiting his deal early.” The Bulldogs are asking him to pay back $390,000 in “liquidated damages” because he did not live up to his end of the financial agreement. His contract apparently required him to pay back any of the money he did receive — as well as any money he did not receive — if he decided to transfer to another program.
That leads us to present day. There are now two active lawsuits.
Georgia sued Wilson so Wilson sued Georgia.
The 42-page complaint was filed on Tuesday morning. It is rooted in a civil conspiracy to “penalize Wilson for his decision to transfer.” Wilson’s attorneys claim the Bulldogs interfered with their client’s ability to enter the portal. They also claim Georgia lied about his financial agreement.
“Georgia appears intent on making an example of someone, they just picked the wrong person,” said one of Wilson’s lawyers told The Athletic. “Damon never had a contract with them. I don’t see how Georgia thinks intimidation and litigation will help their recruitment efforts — maybe players could bring lawyers with them to practice.”
This is the first time in college football history that a player and a school took each other to court over an NIL dispute. It surely won’t be the last.