University of Georgia Athletics
Wilson Got An Early Start
March 19, 2025 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Working out early in the morning is nothing new for Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson. You could argue that it was the early-morning training sessions that started when he was young that helped Wilson get to where he is today. That and some very good genes.
As far back as elementary school, the 6-foot-1 and 235-pound Wilson said, his father, Robert, used to get Wilson and his siblings up well before school to exercise.
"Pops had us, me and all my siblings, doing workouts," Wilson said, laughing. "He would chase us with the car for about two miles early in the morning before school, like around 5 o'clock. I was probably in, like, third grade, fourth grade — I know I was crying, though. I remember that vividly."
Just to be clear, Robert Wilson was more driving behind his children — three of whom, Raylen, Trevor and Robert Jr., went on to play college football, and one, sister Tamari, ran track at Ohio State — than chasing them. But he was serious about the workouts.
"He used his headlights so we could see since it was dark outside," Wilson said, adding that people in the neighborhood in Tallahassee, Fla., where they lived found the whole thing funny. "People would be laughing because they'd hear him yelling or somebody crying."
Robert Wilson played wide receiver at Florida A&M and later spent some time with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, playing in 48 career NFL games. He was inducted into the FAMU Hall of Fame in 2016. Sadly, Robert only got to see some of his children's collegiate successes; he died from complications following a stroke in 2020, at age 46.
"I really didn't get to thank him, but I hope he's watching me here every day," Wilson said.
Some of his dad clearly rubbed off on Wilson, who said he spent his spring break, which took place just before the start of the Bulldogs' spring practices, back home working out.
"I didn't want to be sitting on a beach, doing nothing and eating a lot of stuff that's bad for you," Wilson said.
Wilson undoubtedly isn't wired for "doing nothing" with his free time. He wants to be moving, and he wants to be improving. Wilson said his favorite thing about spring practice "is the jump that you take from spring and summer because it's a nice period where you can get better at everything."
In 2023, Wilson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after playing in 12 games mostly as a backup and finishing the season with 15 tackles and one start. Last season, in a much more expanded role off the bench (he started once, against Tennessee), Wilson finished with 47 tackles, and his 7.0 tackles for loss ranked fifth on the team and are the most among Georgia's returning players.
Wilson credits Glenn Schumann, Georgia's Fain & Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator, who also coaches the inside linebackers, for a lot of his improvement in his two years in Athens.
"I feel like my football knowledge has improved a lot with Coach Schu being our coach," he said. "He gives us a lot of advice on the position and things to look for, like little nuggets that will help us in the long run."
Asked what is his favorite thing about playing football, Wilson had a four-word answer: "I like the contact." When he played running back some in high school, he didn't like getting tackled. He wanted to deliver the hits, not receive them.
When he's not delivering hits for the Bulldogs, he's often making his teammates laugh.
"He's definitely fun to be around, on the field and off the field," cornerback Daylen Everett said. "He's just one of those guys, he's just always going to have you laughing and just looking at him like, Man, he's crazy. But on the field, he's a good player that you can rely on and stuff like that. I enjoy playing with him."
The workouts Wilson did when he was young may not have always been the highlight of his day, but they helped build a foundation and a work ethic that has him poised for a big season in 2025.
Staff Writer
Working out early in the morning is nothing new for Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson. You could argue that it was the early-morning training sessions that started when he was young that helped Wilson get to where he is today. That and some very good genes.
As far back as elementary school, the 6-foot-1 and 235-pound Wilson said, his father, Robert, used to get Wilson and his siblings up well before school to exercise.
"Pops had us, me and all my siblings, doing workouts," Wilson said, laughing. "He would chase us with the car for about two miles early in the morning before school, like around 5 o'clock. I was probably in, like, third grade, fourth grade — I know I was crying, though. I remember that vividly."
Just to be clear, Robert Wilson was more driving behind his children — three of whom, Raylen, Trevor and Robert Jr., went on to play college football, and one, sister Tamari, ran track at Ohio State — than chasing them. But he was serious about the workouts.
"He used his headlights so we could see since it was dark outside," Wilson said, adding that people in the neighborhood in Tallahassee, Fla., where they lived found the whole thing funny. "People would be laughing because they'd hear him yelling or somebody crying."
Robert Wilson played wide receiver at Florida A&M and later spent some time with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, playing in 48 career NFL games. He was inducted into the FAMU Hall of Fame in 2016. Sadly, Robert only got to see some of his children's collegiate successes; he died from complications following a stroke in 2020, at age 46.
"I really didn't get to thank him, but I hope he's watching me here every day," Wilson said.
Some of his dad clearly rubbed off on Wilson, who said he spent his spring break, which took place just before the start of the Bulldogs' spring practices, back home working out.
"I didn't want to be sitting on a beach, doing nothing and eating a lot of stuff that's bad for you," Wilson said.
Wilson undoubtedly isn't wired for "doing nothing" with his free time. He wants to be moving, and he wants to be improving. Wilson said his favorite thing about spring practice "is the jump that you take from spring and summer because it's a nice period where you can get better at everything."
In 2023, Wilson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after playing in 12 games mostly as a backup and finishing the season with 15 tackles and one start. Last season, in a much more expanded role off the bench (he started once, against Tennessee), Wilson finished with 47 tackles, and his 7.0 tackles for loss ranked fifth on the team and are the most among Georgia's returning players.
Wilson credits Glenn Schumann, Georgia's Fain & Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator, who also coaches the inside linebackers, for a lot of his improvement in his two years in Athens.
"I feel like my football knowledge has improved a lot with Coach Schu being our coach," he said. "He gives us a lot of advice on the position and things to look for, like little nuggets that will help us in the long run."
Asked what is his favorite thing about playing football, Wilson had a four-word answer: "I like the contact." When he played running back some in high school, he didn't like getting tackled. He wanted to deliver the hits, not receive them.
When he's not delivering hits for the Bulldogs, he's often making his teammates laugh.
"He's definitely fun to be around, on the field and off the field," cornerback Daylen Everett said. "He's just one of those guys, he's just always going to have you laughing and just looking at him like, Man, he's crazy. But on the field, he's a good player that you can rely on and stuff like that. I enjoy playing with him."
The workouts Wilson did when he was young may not have always been the highlight of his day, but they helped build a foundation and a work ethic that has him poised for a big season in 2025.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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