Colquitt County (GA) football coach Sean Calhoun calls star defensive end Amari Wilson a “connection kid.”
So, when numerous Football Bowl Subdivision programs began pursuing the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder, East Carolina immediately stood out. The Pirates were one of the first to offer a scholarship to Wilson back in May 2023 and added an ace in the hole last March by hiring Rico Zachary as their defensive end/linebackers coach.
Zachary is a native of the Peach State, played collegiately at Georgia Southern, and coached at the college and prep levels in Georgia.
Zachary and ECU defensive coordinator Blake Harrell headed ECU’s recruiting efforts for Wilson, which culminated with his verbal commitment to the Pirates on June 15.
“Amari wouldn’t be the one that if somebody comes in and he’s going to commit to them in a day or two. That’s not him,” Calhoun said. “He’s a relationship guy. They did a good job establishing it and letting Amari know how important he was to them.
“Obviously, Coach Zachary played a big part. He’s been around the state and is from Georgia. We’ve played against him. He was able to share that with Amari, so there was an instant connection there. I think anytime you are recruiting kids to go a little bit away from home, when you can start connecting with them at some level to start off with, it always helps.”
Wilson also entertained offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Charlotte, Connecticut, Florida A&M, Georgia Southern, Indiana, Jacksonville State, James Madison, Liberty, N.C. State, Alabama-Birmingham and South Florida. He took an official visit to Georgia Southern on June 7 before traveling to Greenville for an official visit June 13. Wilson offered his pledge to the ECU coaching staff before leaving campus.
“He was definitely interested in some of the other schools,” Calhoun said. “He took an official visit to Georgia Southern and a handful of unofficial visits. But he was able to go on the visit (to ECU) and he loved it. I didn’t know he was going to commit on the visit. I usually tell them to come back home and re-evaluate. But he was up there and texted me, ‘Coach, I love it. I think I want to commit.’ I was like, ‘Hey, I support you in whatever you want to do.’ ”
Calhoun, who quarterbacked Valdosta State to an NCAA Division II national title in 2004, has been in charge of Wilson’s development for two seasons. He was named Colquitt County head coach in January 2022 after Wilson completed his freshman season playing for the junior varsity squad.
But even though he hadn’t played a down on the varsity, Wilson was one of the first players Colquitt County supporters told him about.
“He was only a ninth grader, but you could tell he had the body type,” Calhoun said. “Then you get him out there in spring practice and you’re like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ A lot of coaches would have loved to walk into that situation.”
Wilson immediately became a force that fall for a 13-1 squad that reached the semifinals of the state 7A tournament. As a sophomore, he led the Packers in tackles for loss (12), had four sacks and 63 total tackles. The performance earned Wilson All-Region 6-7A honors.
A third-round playoff trip and 12-1 record followed for Colquitt County last season. The Packers were led by a defense again featuring Wilson, who made 70 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, three sacks and 28 quarterback hurries. He again repeated as an All-Region 6-7A selection.
During those two seasons Wilson played both nose guard and defensive end. But East Carolina has recruited Wilson for a defensive end spot.
Calhoun said Wilson has been a dominant force, regardless of position.
“I’ve seen him literally take a center on multiple occasions and just jack him up,” Calhoun said. “He literally puts the center in the lap of the quarterback about seven yards in the backfield. It’s been amazing to see. There are also a couple of those plays where he’s got to rush and the quarterback does a good job of eluding him for a second. If Amari wasn’t athletic and long, the quarterback escapes. But Amari stuck his foot in the ground, changed direction and got a sack or tackle for loss.
“He’s done those things more than anything else — jacking linemen up, crushing the pocket and going and getting the quarterback.”
Although Calhoun will start his college career at defensive end, his growth could dictate his transfer to another position eventually.
“He’s not a 6-3, 6-4 kid and not 250 right now,” Calhoun said. “It’s a projection where they think he’ll get to 260 or 270, which I don’t think will be a problem. But I’m curious to see how his body type is going to be when he’s there for a solid year or year-and-a-half.”
Wilson now turns his attention to his senior season at Colquitt County and another deep run into the state playoffs. According to Calhoun, Wilson will remain at Colquitt County for his entire senior year and will enroll at East Carolina in the fall of 2025.
The Pirates had received verbal commitments from 20 high school prospects as of August 1, including seven from the state of Georgia.
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