Florida athlete focused on three

Three-star Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland athlete Vince Wilson has scheduled his first official visit and has two schools currently atop his list of favorites.

“I’ve got my first visit scheduled for South Florida on Jan. 9,” he said. “Another one will be FSU, but I’m not sure when the date will be for that one. I’m going to set it up after we finish the season.”

Mainland is 11-1 and playing in the state Class 5A semifinals on Friday night. Wilson (5-10, 180, 4.4) has been a huge part of their success, rushing for more than 1,800 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns as a senior.

When it comes time to pick a school, FSU and USF remain the teams to beat, although he still includes Oklahoma in the mix.

“I like Oklahoma a whole lot, but they haven’t called me in two or three weeks,” he said. “So I don’t know where I stand with them.

“Right now, I’m thinking I would love to go to FSU. It’s a great school, tradition-wise. They’re always in the running for a championship. But on the other hand, I like South Florida a lot, too. With them, I could be a big part of building tradition, building something special. That’s what they’re trying to sell me on.”

The Seminoles have also already drawn commitments from two running backs (Jamaal Edwards and Lamar Lewis), so that could also influence both the school’s priority on Wilson and the player’s decision in the long run.

Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Stanford and Wake Forest have also extended scholarship offers, but Wilson said he’s leaning toward staying in state unless the Sooners get back involved.

Academically, he maintains a 3.0 GPA and is awaiting his latest test scores.