Where would 4-star RB Jordan James fit best between Georgia football, Florida and Oregon?
Jordan James announced his final three choices.
The Oakland four-star running back will sign with Florida, Georgia or Oregon on National Signing Day on Wednesday.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound James, rated by 247Sports Composite as the No. 16 player nationally at his position and No. 4 overall player in Tennessee, committed to Georgia last March, but did not sign with the Bulldogs during the December early period.
After that, other schools began more aggressively pursuing him and James announced earlier in the week he had re-opened his recruitment process, including a visit to Oregon last weekend and a visit scheduled to Florida this weekend.
James rushed for 1,653 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2021, earning all-area Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. He finished his two-year Oakland career with 3,393 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns after transferring from Brentwood Academy.
Here's how James would fit in with each of his final three choices:
Oregon
Running backs on roster: 7.
2022 RB commitment/signees: 0.
The skinny: James let it be known how impressed he was with the Oregon campus, especially the football facilities, when he took an official visit there last weekend. He didn't talk about other visits that way over the past couple of years. The Ducks lost leading rusher Travis Dye, who transferred to USC after rushing for 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021. The Ducks also have no running back commitments in the 2022 class.
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The fit: James would be a great fit at Oregon. The Ducks have a new offensive coordinator in Ken Dillingham, who was the offensive coordinator at Florida State the past two seasons. The Seminoles combined for more than 4,500 rushing yards and averaged 37 carries per game in those two years. Dillingham's offenses predominantly run a two-back set.
James could see action early, as the Ducks also lost C.J. Verdell (78 carries, 406 yards), who transferred, leaving only sophomore Byron Cardwell (61 carries, 417 yards) with any substantial experience in the backfield.
Florida
Running backs on roster: 5.
2022 RB commitments/signees: 1.
The skinny: There's plenty of room on the Gators roster for James. Florida's leading rusher last season was quarterback Emory Jones. The top two returning running backs — Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis — combined for 1,061 yards, but both declared for the NFL Draft. Florida has a commitment from 4-star RB Trevor Etienne, the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Etienne. He is the No. 14 running back nationally. James is No. 16.
The fit: Having originally committed to Georgia, James would be staying in the SEC if he chose the Bulldogs' biggest rival in Florida. New Gators coach Billy Napier guided Louisiana-Lafayette's offense to 31 points and 412 yards per game in 2021. Napier loves to run the ball, as his Cajuns averaged 40 attempts and 190 yards a game last season.
There aren't many experienced running backs who could provide a road block for playing time. However, Etienne could. Oakland football coach Kevin Creasy confirmed to The Daily News Journal that James plans on visiting Florida this weekend.
Georgia
Running backs on roster: 4.
2022 RB commitments/signees: 1.
The skinny: With their top two rushers (James Cook, Zamir White, who combined for almost 1,600 yards) both declaring for the NFL Draft, the Bulldog backfield is a lot less crowded now. That leaves Kenny McIntosh (328 yards in 2021) and former top prospect Kendall Milton (264 yards in an injury-hampered season) as the top returnees. Georgia signed 4-star running back Branson Robinson in December. Robinson is the No. 1 prospect from Mississippi and the No. 4 running back in the country.
The fit: On paper, the 2021 national champions seem like the great fit for James. However, James didn't sign in December, and with him reopening his recruitment, it leaves heavy doubt that he would still sign with the Bulldogs.
Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Jordan James recruiting: Georgia football, Oregon or Florida best for 4-star?
