Could Ed Reed be the key to Miami’s recruitment of five-star safety Kamari Wilson?
Ask Kamari Wilson who his favorite safeties are and he starts in one, very obvious place: Ed Reed. It’s why loved the Miami Hurricanes as a kid and part of why the five-star safety from Bradenton IMG Academy has Miami in his top five with about six months left in his recruitment.
Keep prying and he’ll rattle off an eclectic list: Sean Taylor, Derwin James, Karl Joseph, Grant Delpit and even Jalen Ramsey and Derek Stingley. He’s well-schooled at the position and he plays with a classic safety’s mentality. He’s meticulous at reading offenses, and turning every opportunity possible into a soaring interception or a bone-rattling hit — and he wants everyone to know he’s out there prowling in the back end of his defense.
He only needed a few plays to do his thing Saturday in the 7-on-7 portion of the Under Armour Future 50. Team Chill quickly went for the end zone against Wilson and Team Ice, only the pass sailed off target and out in front of a receiver while Wilson mirrored the route. He dove to his left, reeled in the interception, hopped back to his feet and punted the ball into the air, then pointed to the sky as he ran back to his bench at the IMG Academy Soccer Complex in Bradenton.
A few plays later, he was in the box and charging at a running back on a short pass attempt. “He heard the monster,” Wilson chirped after the tailback dropped the pass in the non-contact setting. Near the end of the game, he tore from one sideline to the middle of the field and swatted a ball out of a wide receiver’s hand at the last second in the end zone.
“I’m a complete safety,” he shouted over and over to anyone who’d listen.
It’s the reason he’s one of the most sought-after players in the nation.
“I had fun,” Wilson said Saturday. “I came out here with a business mindset to show the world that I’m the best and to prove that I’m the best.”
The camp’s organizers agreed. After the morning session of drill work, coaches named Wilson the defensive backs most valuable player of the Future 50 and he was once again the top defensive player on the field for the evening 7-on-7 session.
He’s the No. 1 safety in the Class of 2022, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, and his play at IMG Academy only further solidified his position.
“I feel like I showed that,” he said.
Wilson has looked like the nation’s best safety since was a freshman, playing for Westwood in Fort Pierce. Miami was the third team to offer him a scholarship way back in 2019 and he emerged as his the top-rated safety of his class as soon as 247Sports put out its initial batch of rankings for the cycle.
He left St. Lucie County for IMG after his sophomore season, hoping to improve his academics and stay away from some of the gang violence in his hometown. He was already a high school star, and knew he was on his way to college and maybe the NFL if he could stay on track.
The Hurricanes, with new defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson, are now a team he feels can get him there.
“He had a first-round pick,” Wilson said. “He’s a coach that can get me to the next level, and it’s going to be a hard decision between my top five, but Miami’s definitely in the top.”
The rest of the group includes the Florida Gators, Texas A&M Aggies, Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers. He’ll officially visit LSU and Texas A&M later this month, then use his official visits with the other three in the fall.
Wilson, who’s cousins with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson, made his first trip to Coral Gables on Thursday, spending the day touring the facilities and meeting with coaches. One, however was absent: Reed.
Last year, the Hurricanes hired Reed as their chief of staff and he took on an active role in recruiting, helping lure safety Avantae Williams from DeLand to Miami and assisting with evaluations. Wilson is looking forward to meeting the legendary safety, hopefully on his official visit.
“I try to model myself just like him. He’s a ballhawk. I try to ballhawk,” Wilson said. “It’s crazy how he reads the quarterback and that’s from a film aspect. He watches a lot of film, I heard, so I try to really pay attention to the details he does, so I can kind of get like that, too, and improve my game even more.
“I’m going to be starstruck.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 1:37 PM.
