Florida programs eye in-state LB

Junior to Watch: Vernon Wilder

School: Miami (Fla.) Carol City High School

Position: Inside Linebacker

Size and speed: Wilder is 6-feet tall, weighs 230 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds.

Statistics: As a junior, he recorded 90 tackles.

Honors: Was selected to the all-county squad.

Favorite Schools: Miami, Florida State, Florida, Central Florida, South Florida.

Skinny: Toughness is an attribute shared by most good inside linebackers, but Carol City’s Vernon Wilder took it to a new level last season.

Wilder separated a shoulder in the team’s second game of the year, but continued to play through the pain. He finished the season as the third-leading tackler with 90 stops.

“That says it all about him,” Carol City coach Walt Frazier said. “He’s a tough kid. He’s tough physically and mentally. You could see him wincing at times and I wondered if he should be out there, but he didn’t want to sit down.”

Frazier describes Wilder as a classic inside linebacker with a nose for the ball.

“He’s real aggressive and tough, but he’s also a student of the game,” he said. “His grandfather was a coach, his father was a good linebacker and all his uncles were good players at this school. He comes from a great football background. They’ve all shared their knowledge of the game with him, and he’s a good listener, eager to learn.

“That’s a big part of the reason he was able to come in here and start as a sophomore, and not very many kids do that at this school. We’re always a junior- and senior-dominated team.”

Early recruiting interest for Wilder has come from Miami, Florida State, Florida, Central Florida and South Florida.

“We haven’t heard a whole lot outside of the state yet, but we expect to by the end of next season,” Frazier said. “He’s going to make a real nice D-I player. He should be fully qualified, too. He’s a good, solid student.”