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Football
4/4/2026 5:00:00 PM

Solomon Johnson, MSU Athletics Communications







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  BALTIMORE, Md. (April 4, 2026) — Morgan State football wrapped up Week 2 of spring practice on Saturday, continuing to build toward the 2026 season with competitive reps, ongoing position battles, and steady development on both sides of the ball.

 

Week 2 storylines

 

Offensive Progress:

The quarterback room continued to make a strong impression during Week 2 of spring camp, with each signal-caller — Tahj Smith, Raedon Oliver, Cameron Edge, and Ade Olanegan — showcasing leadership, poise, and individual skill. The group has demonstrated steady growth, with each quarterback bringing a unique presence and command to the offense.

 

Coach Damon Wilson is also looking for Justin Perry to build on a successful freshman campaign and elevate his game to the next level. Despite Perry’s standout season, Wilson noted there were still missed assignments and opportunities that both Perry and the offense did not fully capitalize on. Improving route running and becoming more effective as a blocker in the run game remain key areas of focus for the rising sophomore this spring.

 

Defensive Highlights:

On the defensive side, the position coaches continue to work diligently to develop depth and establish the unit’s identity, to discover the next standout playmakers in the mold of Elijah Williams, Jordan Toles, and Erick Hunter. The emphasis this spring has been on player development, discipline, and building a defense capable of making an immediate impact this fall.

 

Energy & Culture:

Belief, Effort, Accountability, Respect, and Selflessness (B.E.A.R.S.) remains the foundation of the culture Coach Damon Wilson is continuing to instill throughout the Morgan State football program. The emphasis this spring has been on ensuring the young men of Morgan State Football embody those values both on and off the field, as the Bears continue building the standard for the 2026 season.

 

Standout Performers (Week 2)

Offense: QB room, RB Keith Jenkins Jr., TE Malachi Bryant

Defense: DB Dantonio Hackworth, DL Justin Dutton

Special Teams: N/A

 




NOTE THE QUOTE – HEAD COACH DAMON WILSON

 

What were your takes on the QB room?

“Just continued growth and being consistent. I think all of those guys you mentioned have leadership capabilities, which is good. They all do a great job in the classroom. Still, it’s about being consistent and continuing to hold each other—and other position groups—accountable for doing and knowing their assignments. I think that will help us as a ball club.”

 

What were your takes on the RB room?

“It’s a good problem to have as a coach and as a coaching staff when you’ve got guys at various positions who can help you. The main thing we’re stressing right now is that everyone knows their assignments and understands there will be competition at every position.

 

As we go through the summer and get ready for camp, the depth chart will work itself out. But at the end of the day, you want to have several guys who could be starters, because in football, you can go from number three to number one real fast.

 

You want guys who are prepared for that, and I think we do have some pretty good depth in those position groups.”
 

 

What were your takes on Justin Perry’s development?

“For Justin, it’s about taking his game to the next level. When you go back and watch the film, there were several missed assignments and several opportunities to make plays that he just didn’t make last year.

 

We want to make sure he makes those plays this year and continues to learn the details of playing the wide receiver position. As you said, he’s raw, he’s young, and he’s super athletic. He’s a try-hard, go-hard guy who’s going to get after it daily.

 

Now it’s about fine-tuning his route running and making sure he fully understands his responsibilities in the run game.”

 

We saw Eric Hunter participate in an HBCU combine earlier this week. In back-to-back seasons, you’ve helped produce NFL-level prospects. You’ve had Elijah and now Erick Hunter. What has made this defense so productive over the years?

“I think even before those guys, you had Alfonzo Graham in our first year, then Jordan Toles in the second year, and then you moved to Elijah and Erick.

 

I think our staff has done a good job in recruiting. Some of those guys were already here when we arrived, but they still had to be developed. Each position coach and coordinator has done a great job preparing these guys for these opportunities.

Those are different positions with Elijah and Erick, but the common factor is that they’ve been special athletes and guys who do things the right way. They love football.

 

It’s a blessing to see those guys live out their dreams and reach their goals.”

 

Can I get two standouts from both sides of the ball?

“Thus far, a guy I’m really impressed with offensively is Keith Jenkins Jr. Another player who has made great strides so far is Malachi Bryant.

 

Defensively, Dantonio Hackworth Jr. is a guy who has definitely grown since the fall. Then on the defensive line, Justin Dutton is another player who has really shown up this spring.”

 

Off the football field, you’re teaching these young men how to handle themselves away from the game during a very challenging time in the world. What principles are you emphasizing off the field?

“We use the acronym BEARS in our program: belief, effort, accountability, respect, and selflessness.

 

We want to make sure we’re holding ourselves accountable, doing things the right way, and being selfless in our day-to-day operations.

 

As you said, there are going to be decisions to make when you walk off campus or off the playing field. If you have certain values, that eliminates a lot of the distractions. We want to make sure the values each person has fit our program, and that goes back to recruiting.

 

We understand these are difficult times, and several things are going on across the country right now. Between 18 and 22 years old, that’s when you make a lot of your mistakes, so we want to make sure our guys are educated and understand how to navigate through situations if they do get in a jam.

 

A lot of it is education, a lot of it is recruiting, and accountability is something we talk about a lot within this program.”

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ABOUT MORGAN

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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