Dawgs to Watch No. 7: Tony Wilson

Since March, Tony Wilson has been recovering. The sophomore wide receiver injured his ankle in a scrimmage five months ago, has since undergone two surgeries and has still managed to find his way on to the practice field during camp.

Not that Wilson is 100 percent by any means, but with so many green jerseys during the preseason, he knew he had to be out there his teammates needed him.

"I've been going as much as I can," Wilson said. "But it's a mental thing, and that's one of the key things to football is having a mental game."

Having played in 12 games last season, earning two starts, Wilson has plenty of talent. But it's that mental game that sets him apart.

"My football IQ is my major asset," Wilson said. "It just makes the game so much easier, slows (the game) down for you."

That football knowledge should earn Wilson his share of passes this season, despite the fact that he currently trails Kris Durham and Kenneth Harris on the depth chart at split end.

His catches will come, he said. And he knows to make the most out of the handful of opportunities he gets each game. That was a lesson the older wide receivers taught him when he first came to Georgia.

"You're only going to get three or four opportunities a game, so when your number is called, you've got to make the most of your opportunity," Wilson said.

But racking up stats isn't nearly as important to Wilson as the impact he can have when he's not catching footballs.

With the younger players some who have already passed him on the depth chart he makes a point of passing along his knowledge of the game.

"I want to leave an impact on those boys lives," Wilson said. "I get a hold of them, we meet, I teach them how to read coverages, just the speed of the game."

On the field, he shares the wealth, too. Wilson said he gets just as much enjoyment from opening a hole for a running back as he does from hauling in a downfield bomb.

"I'd go get at fullback if they need me to," Wilson said. "I love to block."

It's not just that Wilson loves to block. It's more than he simply hates to lose.

"I hate to lose even at practice against our defense," Wilson said. "I know it's going to better our defense if I go hard to get them better, and if they go hard, it gets me better. On Saturday, we're on the same sideline."