CJ Wiley did not end up committing to Georgia on Tuesday. In a decision that truly shocked the recruiting world, Wiley announced he was committed to Florida State.

The Bulldogs and LSU Tigers were seen as the top contenders for Wiley entering the day but it was the Seminoles — who got the last official visit — who won out

“I’ve been there numerous times and I just had the feeling that every time I’ve been to FSU it just feels like home,” Wiley said after his decision. “Coach Norvell, he greets me well and like really just sets the tone for real. Like fresh off the visit. Like just coming in.”

Wiley did tell DawgNation’s Jeff Sentell that his recruitment is still “open” and that he would still consider taking visits.

The Milton, Ga., prospect is one of Georgia’s top wide receiver prospects for the cycle. The announcement on Tuesday does not change that.

Just a year ago, Georgia saw one of its top in-state prospects commit to Florida State. That was 5-star safety KJ Bolden, out of Buford, Ga.

Bolden’s announcement was made in August and it was seen as just as big a shock as Wiley’s commitment.

But head coach Kirby Smart was undeterred in the announcement. He, and the Georgia staff, kept recruiting Bolden as they had prior to his public commitment.

The Bulldogs will do the same for Wiley.

“It was just consistent,” Smart said after Georgia signed Bolden in December. “A mutual respect is probably the right word. I reached out to him when he committed elsewhere. I told him we had a lot of respect for him, and we weren’t going to stop recruiting him, that we thought this was the best place for him. Andrew Thomas’ parents taught me that consistency is the key. We were very consistent every time he was here.”

Bolden considered Auburn as well but at the start of the early signing period, it was Georgia who won for his services.

Georgia has two wide receiver commitments at the moment in 4-star prospects Talyn Taylor and Thomas Blackshear. The Bulldogs are also pursuing the likes of Travis Smith Jr., Landon Raldon and Tyler Williams.

The best version though of Georgia’s 2025 recruiting class would potentially have Wiley in it. The same was true of Georgia’s recruiting class in the 2024 recruiting cycle with Bolden. That class finished ranked No. 1 and Bolden is already showing why he was such a coveted prospect. He could well push for real playing time as a freshman.

“You know what, it worked out,” Smart said. “Doesn’t always work out. It worked out in this case. We’re not going to change our method how we go about things.”

Bolden isn’t the only example of a coveted prospect first picking another school. Isaiah Gibson was a one-time USC commit, but he announced on Monday he was committed to Georgia.

We’ll see if Georgia is able to do the same with Wiley. There’s a long way to go between now and the December signing period. That’s good news for Smart, James Coley and the Georgia recruiting staff. But it comes on the heels of what was objectively bad news for the Bulldogs with Wiley committing to Florida State.