Morgan State football has spent much of its time under head coach Damon Wilson trying to turn progress into sustainable success. Six games into the 2026 season, the Bears seem to have found a rhythm.
Morgan State is now 5-1 this season, riding a four-game winning streak en route to a No. 24 ranking in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 — the first time in program history the Bears have ever appeared in that national poll. To Wilson, the challenge is just beginning for the team.
“One thing I told the guys early on, we have to learn how to win,” Wilson said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 14. “And then once you learn how to win, you have to learn how to handle success. And then after you handle success, you have to sustain the success.”
Wilson has a history of sustained success. Before taking over as head coach at Morgan State in 2022, Wilson spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Bowie State, accumulating an impressive 89-45 record.
Wilson led the Bulldogs to three consecutive CIAA championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021 and five NCAA Division II playoff appearances. The 2021 team went 12-2 and reached the Division II quarterfinals, the deepest playoff run in program history. Wilson was subsequently named the 2021 American Football Coaches Association Division II National Coach of the Year.
The turnaround at Morgan State has taken more time. The Bears went 4-7 in Wilson’s first season in 2022, followed by records of 4-6, 6-6 and 4-8. This year’s 5-1 start is Morgan State’s best start since 2009.
Wilson said the biggest difference this season has been the Bears finishing games they would have lost in previous years. Morgan’s last two victories — against Villanova and Robert Morris — have come by a total of four points.
“Good teams find a way to win,” Wilson said. “In the past, we found a way to lose those games. And now these guys understand what needs to be done to win those tight games, those tough games.”
Senior quarterback Cameron Edge has been a big reason for the Bears’ success.
Edge is from Clayton, Del., and came to Morgan after spending three seasons at Maryland and the 2025 season at Eastern Michigan. Edge was a four-star recruit out of Smyrna High School in Delaware and was ranked by ESPN as the No. 11 quarterback in the country in his class.
At Maryland, Edge worked behind Taulia Tagovailoa and Billy Edwards Jr. and never started a game. His most notable performance came in the 2023 Music City Bowl. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound quarterback completed 4 of 6 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. In 2025, Edge transferred to Eastern Michigan but never appeared in a game.
Wilson said he was familiar with Edge from the quarterback’s earlier time at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville before Edge transferred back home to Smyrna.
“I was familiar with Cam when he spent time at DeMatha, and I also talked to [Michael] Locksley over at the University of Maryland to get some background on him,” Wilson said.
Edge then had to fight for the starting spot at Morgan State. The Bears held a quarterback competition through the spring and summer before Wilson named Edge the starter at the end of preseason camp.
Wilson mentioned Edge’s leadership ultimately helped separate him from the others.
“He’s coming down and just humble and hungry to compete,” Wilson said. “He wants to play ball.”
That attitude has shown up during the week leading up to games.
“He’s a first-in, last-out type guy, and that’s no exaggeration,” Wilson said.
In Morgan State’s 38-35 victory over Villanova on Oct. 3, Edge completed 31 of 40 passes for 444 yards while accounting for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). His emergence has coincided with his team’s ability to close out close games.
The Bears followed the Villanova victory by overcoming an early 14-point deficit to beat Robert Morris, 28-27. Senior running back Keith Jenkins Jr. scored the go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds left on the clock.
After giving the team the day off following the Robert Morris victory, Wilson watched his players return to medical checks, the weight room and early meetings. Wilson also pointed out study hall attendance and academics as signs of growth and discipline despite the increased attention from winning.
“Those things show me if you’re ready to be successful,” Wilson said. “And if we continue to do those little things, everything else will fall into place.”
Morgan State’s next test comes against Tennessee State on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Nashville for the Bears’ final nonconference game before MEAC play begins.
For more from Wilson, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Chris Thompkins