TAMPA – The recruiting process came to an end for two of the state’s top recruits Wednesday. But only one of those journeys ended with Gainesville as the final destination.
Groveland South Lake cornerback Nick Waisome and Tampa Plant athlete James Wilder Jr. both made their college choices public Wednesday, with Waisome announcing live on ESPNU and Wilder making his decision known at a press conference in the Plant auditorium.
Waisome, a four-star cornerback, revealed Wednesday night in Orlando his plans to commit to Florida.
On the live show, Waisome removed a South Lake High hat he was wearing, pulled out a blue Gators cap and donned it as he announced his decision to the cameras.
“The place I’ll be playing my college football at – the University of Florida,” Waisome said on the broadcast.
Waisome is rated as the seventh-best cornerback recruit in the nation by Rivals.com and runs a 4.44 40-yard dash. His oral commitment makes him the 14th member of the Gators’ 2011 recruiting class.
It was long assumed that Waisome was Florida’s to lose, and many suspected he was leaning toward the Gators after his showing at the team’s annual Friday Night Lights camp last month.
After the camp, he spoke of the strong relationships he had built with UF’s coaches, and when he made his decision Wednesday, that was one of his deciding factors.
“It was just the relationship with the coaches,” Waisome said. “I had a great relationship with the coaches, some of the players. I like the atmosphere, the school is always a fun place. I just liked it overall. Great school, win championships and I’m ready to play.”
While the Gators did land a big piece of the recruiting puzzle with Waisome’s verbal, his commitment seemed like a consolation prize after Wilder’s decision earlier in the day.
In front of a crowded Plant auditorium, Wilder, the No. 3 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com, chose FSU.
Wilder came to the stage wearing a black shirt with a red vest over it, fueling speculation that stemmed from an AOL FanHouse report that he was going to commit to Georgia.
While Waisome didn’t waste any time in making his decision known, Wilder, on the other hand, had fun with those in attendance before revealing his intentions to play at FSU.
During a speech in which he thanked his coaches, teammates, family, fans, God and others, Wilder paused for a moment and reached under the gold-draped table he was standing at.
“Oh yeah, and the school I’m going to be choosing is – going to be told in a few moments,” Wilder said as the crowd let out a laugh.
After finishing his speech and pulling another pump fake on the audience, Wilder finally reached into a bag under the table and pulled out a garnet FSU cap and gave a few tomahawk chops.
“After looking and doing a lot more research, it came down to Georgia, Florida and Florida State,” Wilder said. “It was hard passing up Florida. They know how to win, they know how to get people to the next level.”
Wilder said he felt the most comfortable at Florida State and felt in his heart it was the best decision for him.
He notified FSU’s coaches two days ago of his decision to commit, but refrained from going public with the decision until Wednesday’s press conference.
“It’s a great decision, great fit and he’s going to get to play on the offensive side of the ball,” Plant head coach Robert Weiner said.
