South Carolina will commence official visit season this coming weekend, and among the prospects who plan to be in attendance is Irmo QB/ATH AJ Brand (6-1 200). The short ride to the USC campus will be his first official visit.
Gamecock receivers coach Mike Furrey and secondary coach Torian Gray went by Irmo last week to visit with Brand during a spring practice. His conversations with the Gamecocks have been more about playing receiver or in the secondary, with a little quarterback talk thrown in for good measure. He’s a little in the dark about what the Gamecocks have planned for him.
“I honestly don’t know,” Brand said. “Whatever they want me to do I’m totally opened to, and I don’t have a problem with it. I think we’ll do a little bit more talking at my official visit. They are all just super excited and can’t wait for me to get up there. I’m the same way with them.”
Brand said Clemson offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley and receivers coach Tyler Grisham also stopped in for a practice last week, as did coaches from Memphis and Oregon.
Along with the official visit to USC, Brand has one scheduled the following weekend to Virginia Tech, and he’s also planning to take one to Oregon State. The Hokies and the Beavers are recruiting him strictly as a quarterback.
Brand said on these official visits, he wans to get clarity on what it would be like to play for that particular staff.
“I want to get a feel for the coaching staff in their natural element,” Brand said. “Get in there with less guys so it will be a little bit more one on one time. Just seeing how everything is around the program. How the players are. How the staff is. Just get an overall view, if you do go to that school, what will you be getting out of it.”
Brand originally thought he could wrap up recruiting by the end of spring, but at this point, he’s not close at all on a decision.
“Originally it was going to be during the spring or before the spring,” he said. “But some of these college coaches came through while we were practicing, and it was hard to make a decision. I don’t know exactly when. I’ll talk a little bit more with my parents when we really want to decide on a school. Whenever as a family we decide to sit down and have that talk, where do you really want to go, I think that’s when I’ll make the decision.”
Brand was one of the state’s top quarterbacks as a junior passing for 2932 yards and 45 touchdowns while rushing for 1113 yards and 17 touchdowns.