LSU, Georgia and Cincinnati are the last three programs left standing in the hunt to land four-star guard Edgerrin James, Jr., the No. 53 prospect in the 2024 class. James Jr., who goes by the nickname Jizzle, is the son of the NFL Hall of Fame running back by the same name (Edgerrin, not Jizzle) and averaged 25 points per game at Florida’s Olympia High School a season ago.
With James expected to make a decision this fall, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy ranks the contenders to land his letter of intent.
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1. Cincinnati
The Bearcats felt like they were becoming the slight favorite even before James’ Sept. 25 visit to campus, and that feeling has intensified in the days since the trip concluded. James has long discussed his fit with Wes Miller's style of play and seems to like the emphasis Bearcat fans place on basketball.
There’s no such thing as a lock when it comes to recruiting, but Miller and company should love where they stand in the race to secure James' pledge.
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2. Georgia
James has a solid relationship with the Georgia staff that stretches back to when head coach Mike White and company were at Florida, and the Gators seemed to be heavily in the mix to land him back then. He remains close with the staff, including White, with whom James is particularly close.
The four-star senior visited UGA back in July, and the Georgia coaches were in to see him at his high school earlier this month. If James doesn’t land at Cincy as expected, UGA feels like the second-best bet by far.
It seems as though the Bulldogs would need to get him back on a return trip if they hope to win out, which they still could. Think of UGA as 1B here.
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3. LSU
The Tigers seem to sit decidedly in third place for the time being. LSU has an uphill battle on its hands if it hopes to pull a major upset, but stranger things have happened in modern recruiting.
Matt McMahon and staff will likely get James’ final official visit. That feels significant, so there’s a chance things change drastically if and when the trip takes place next month.
The four-star guard seems intrigued by the fact that the LSU staff developed NBA star Ja Morant while at Murray State, a fact that will be massively important if LSU is to make a move down the stretch.
