GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- It has been a whirlwind football career for Marco Wilson.

The talented corner burst onto the college football scene as a freshman, but saw his sophomore season derailed by an ACL tear.

“I don’t think I was worried about my knee at all," Wilson told reporters on Monday. "I went through this already. It’s just a matter of the preparation and getting back into actually playing football and stuff like that. I think the mental part was fine. I think I was good in that aspect.”

Wilson worked hard in his rehabilitation and was seen running in Florida's Peach Bowl prep that winter. However, his redshirt sophomore season would see one more unexpected turns.

The South Florida native would start the season outside, playing opposite CJ Henderson, however, midway through the season Wilson found himself at the STAR position.

Kaiir Elam moved into Wilson's stop and the latter became a mentor.

“Kaiir is coming along great," said the former American Heritage standout. "I know he’s going to be a great player, and we’ve just been getting extra work during the offseason, kind of what me and CJ (Henderson) used to do together to make each other better,” Wilson said. “I’ve also been bringing all the other guys along, so it’s not just me and Kaiir. I’m trying to get everybody to be on the same level. A high level.”

Wilson remembers his first year as a Gator and the pressures

“As a freshman, I didn’t realize how much mental the game was. I was really just out there off my own athletic ability and just playing and listening to what coach was saying,” Wilson said. “As an older guy now, I know how much more you need to prepare for a game mentally. It’s really more mental than physical, that’s something I didn’t realize as a freshman."

He also realized how a team searching for a leader can find themselves lost.

“My freshman year when I got here, it wasn’t as much leadership that there is now. I think that’s a big deal," stated Wilson. "You can’t always just have coaches trying to lead the guys, because you’re not on the field with the coaches, you’re on the field with your teammates. Whatever you’re doing, whatever the leaders are doing, the team is going to follow. It can’t be all about the coaches.”

Wilson has led by example for most of his career, and he sees that trait with Elam.

“It’s usually the older guys, but there are definitely some guys like Kaiir that are looked at as a leader,” he said. “Anyone that does the right things on and off the field, if you just speak up and voice your opinion, people are going to listen, because we all respect each other.”

Kyle Trask did not mince words on Monday, the Florida quarterback believes this Florida side has a shot at the College Football Playoffs; Dan Mullen said the outside expectation is meeting the program's expectations; and Wilson can only agree.

“We don’t really speak about it. It’s just a quiet understanding. Every time we go to workouts, we all know that we have a common goal that we want to reach. If someone’s not living to that standard we speak up about it because we want everybody to be up here so we can achieve that,” Wilson said. “Really just outwork everybody else and be the hardest working team on the field no matter what. Be mentally strong and prepared whenever we go out on the field.”