Deacons, Dogs among LBs visits

Three-star Miami (Fla.) Carol City linebacker Vernon Wilder is ready to start taking his first official visits.

So who holds spots on his date book?

“I have one for FAMU this weekend,” he said. “I’m going to Wake Forest the next week, and Mississippi State the week after that.

“I’m still talking to Kansas State and Kansas, so I may do something with them for the last two.”

Wilder (6-0, 243, 4.65) does not favor a leader at this point.

“I want to take all my visits before I decide,” he said. “All of them look pretty good right now.

“With (Florida A&M), my granddaddy went there and he was an All-American tackle. My uncle and some other family members went there, too, so they’re real high on that school. They think I should give them a good look. They’re program is coming up, and they need some more players like me to get where they want to be.

“With Wake Forest, it’s a real good school for academics and they have a pretty good football team right now. They’ve gotten better lately. Plus, I have a sister up there at Duke, so I would be close to her.

“Mississippi State is a school that just came on me pretty hard before Christmas. I like what I hear about their new coach. I like the coach who’s recruiting me, too. They seem like good people. They tell me they have an opportunity for guys to come in and help them real early on defense.”

As a senior, Wilder earned all-state and All-Dade honors after recording approximately 140 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles. He is rated the No. 31 inside linebacker in the nation by Rivals.com.