Wilder and LeMay

I don’t usually delve into recruiting, but it’s been a pretty busy 24-48 hours on that front for Georgia.

James Wilder Jr., one of the nation’s top prospects, is set to make his announcement on Wednesday afternoon. One report out of Florida said the Tampa native is headed to Georgia. But that’s been unconfirmed, so it could be Georgia, it could be Florida State, it could even still be Florida.

Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell told me at noon that he doesn’t know what Wilder is going to do, nobody except Wilder knows, and agreed it might not even be final today, whoever Wilder picks.

Wilder, a running back and linebacker, is close with Orson Charles, a Georgia tight end, and also knows Aaron Murray, both products of the same Tampa high school. But Farrell said Wilder is also tight with his Florida State recruiter, and that Wilder has not visited Georgia with his family.

“Logically when you look at it, both are good fits,” Farrell said of Georgia and FSU. “You talk about a big running back going into an offense that is suited to that kind of guy, that has produced pros over the past few years, then Georgia is a better fit.”

The other factor is Isaiah Crowell, the tailback out of Columbus. Rivals has Wilder as the nation’s third-ranked overall prospect, and Crowell is No. 21.

If Wilder Jr. does commit to Georgia, does Crowell get pushed to Alabama?

“If Wilder doesn’t go to Georgia, it’s OK, because they still lead for Crowell,” Farrell said. “If they strike out on Wilder and Crowell, then they have a problem.”

One recruit definitely in the fold – as definite as it can be without a signed letter-of-intent – is quarterback Christian LeMay. The news on the North Carolina product is that LeMay – suspended from school until mid-October – will not play his senior year, and concentrate on getting ready for college.

Of course, playing your senior year is probably the best way to get ready for college. LeMay decided not to join his team late, or transfer to a private school and face weaker competition.

“I don’t think it’s going to hurt him in the long run,” Farrell said. “I think it’ll slow down his development a little bit.”

It does eliminate any opportunity for LeMay, who plans to enroll at Georgia in January, to try to play immediately. Even though he’s enrolling early, he’ll be coming in with more than a year of a layoff from live action.

LeMay figures to still try to compete with Murray once he arrives in Athens. But in Georgia’s mind it would probably allow them to bring him along slower.

Note: I originally wrote that Wilder was announcing on ESPN. Took it out, heard bad info. Sorry.