Oct 31, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Treon Harris (3) runs with the ball as Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Reggie Wilkerson (9) defends during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
On Friday night, Iowa State added another piece to bolster its defense for the 2017 season. Georgia graduate transfer defensive back Reggie Wilkerson announced his commitment to the Cyclones shortly after officially graduating from UGA.
The 5-foot-11, 173-pound played in 20 games in three seasons for the Bulldogs recording 17 tackles, 12 solo, two tackles for loss and an interception. He played in all 13 of Georgia’s games in 2015 before getting banged up and playing in only six in 2016.
He was the No. 18 cornerback in the class in the 2013 recruiting class, according to 247Composite. The four-star prospect was the No. 232 player overall in the class and No. 33 player in Florida.
The big question: Where will Wilkerson fit on the field for the Cyclones this season? Iowa State is pretty much set at the top cornerback spots with Brian Peavy and D’Andre Payne, but the group behind them is extremely young. It would not be surprising at all to see redshirt freshman Arnold Azunna as one of the backups with true freshman Richard Bowens battling for playing time as well.
Wilkerson could slide into one of those corner spots or also the nickel spot left open by Payne moving to the edge. He played both spots at Georgia and will bring experience the Cyclones desperately need in the defensive backfield.
At the end of the day, Iowa State would not have looked to add a graduate transfer if he couldn’t get on the field and help immediately.
With three of the positions in the secondary locked down by Kamari Cotton-Moya, Peavy and Payne, the hope is that Wilkerson can lock down another while allowing the young guys in the program to continue to develop without being thrown straight into the fire.
