Texas A&M will be down another key defender on Monday night against North Carolina State as A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher reported Thursday in a post-practice press conference that senior safety Donovan Wilson will miss the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl after undergoing hernia surgery. Fisher stated Wednesday that A&M linebacker Otaro Alaka would also miss the game after post season surgery on his wrist.

Wilson missed parts of three games this season but still started in 11 games and was second on the Aggies with 66 total tackles. He also had two sacks totaling 13 yards, led the team with two interceptions, and had three pass breakups. Wilson had 12 tackles against then top ten Kentucky in the Aggies' 20-14 overtime win in October. He led the team with 13 tackles, seven solo tackles. and a pass break up against eighth ranked LSU in the Aggies' seven overtime win to end the season. He was given the Aggie Heart Award and the Defensive Leadership Award at the team’s annual banquet.

Wilson missed virtually all of the 2017 season with a knee injury. As a junior in 2016, he posted 59 tackles while moving between safety and nickel. He also had one interception and 5.5 tackles for loss. He saw action in all 13 games as a sophomore and spent most of his time at nickel. He led the Aggies with five interceptions and had a 60-yard pick-six interception against South Carolina. He totaled 63 tackles on the year, including a season-high 10 tackles against Ole Miss and had 8.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. In his first career start as a freshman, Wilson led the team in tackles with nine stops in the Liberty Bowl against West Virginia.

Wilson and junior Larry Pryor started the last four games of the regular season but A&M's first team safeties at today's practice were freshman Leon O'Neal and sophomore Derrick Tucker. O'Neal played mostly on special teams and is known as a big hitter while Tucker started the first eight games of the season before being sidelined by injury himself.

No. 19 Texas A&M and North Carolina State meet in the Gator Bowl on Mon., Dec. 31 in Jacksonville, Fla. The game will air on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. Central.