AND SO IT BEGINS...

So this is a new blogging venture/space for The Brain. Going into his fourth year working in Atlanta’s print, radio and TV sports communities, The Brain specializes in all variations of sports analysis, is a foremost expert in the hectic world of recruiting, and an opinionated fan of the arts as well. As such, this/his blog and all its musings will very much reflect these/his interests. So, without further introduction, we hope you thoroughly enjoy this thought-provoking cyber space, but warn you to be careful; it's very important that you resist falling for The Brain and all his worldly temptations. (Note: this is just a quick start to what this blog will become. Think of it as the appetizer to an amazing main course of your choice).

ON “THE VISIT”…

We put another out-of-this-world version of “The Official Visit” in the books on Monday, as our two fantastic interviews yielded some really interesting recruiting news. For those who don’t know, I host an all-recruiting radio show alongside Score Atlanta's Fletcher Proctor on Sports Radio 790 The Zone every Monday night from 7:30-10. It is in fact the world’s only two and a half hour, all-recruiting radio show, which makes it the very best in the business, and more than worth checking out/your time.

Anyway, on Monday we caught up with Milton senior power forward Julian Royal in addition to McEachern tight end Rory Anderson. The interview with Royal was especially timely, as the 6-8, 225-pound power forward will announce his college declaration at a school assembly this Thursday, October 14. The ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m.

While most believed that Royal was set to choose between Georgia Tech, Georgia and Wake Forest, perhaps the most interesting information to come from our interview was that Royal has actually eliminated Wake Forest from the running. So, by process of elimination, it becomes a Georgia-Georgia Tech battle. Beyond that, Royal very much tried to keep the suspense in his Thursday announcement with tight-lipped answers, but I did get a sense that Georgia will be his choice, as he admitted that he has at least thought about the prospect of a Paul Hewitt firing.

In our interview with Anderson, Rory all but committed to Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. He has visited Columbia, the University of Virginia, as well as Knoxville, Tennessee, so he knows what’s out there, and he is still firmly calling Carolina his leader. What pushes the pendulum even further in South Carolina’s favor is Anderson’s desire to play with teammate Marcquis Roberts. We interviewed the 6-1, 205-pound linebacker on The Visit two weeks ago, and he also expressed a strong desire to play with Anderson as well as a strong liking for Spurrier and the Gamecocks. Finally, last night, Rory also admitted that his mom favors South Carolina and that she believes it is the school he will choose in the end.

Now you can find trends in just about every aspect of life, and recruiting is no different. And when a player favors a school and his mom favors the same one too, said player is a lock to choose said school, and you can take that to the bank. And if my prediction comes true – and I think we all know that it will – it will be quite the get for Spurrier and company. Anderson is a tremendous athlete with the ability to become an ultra-versatile tight end or a big, physical receiver, and Roberts plays the game with great passion and brings impressive speed and range to the linebacker position. Perhaps more importantly, if we count the two McEachern Indians and South Carolina Gamecocks, they would represent the eighth and ninth Georgia prospects to commit to Spurrier in the Class of 2011. That’s a significant, and hugely important, number for a South Carolina Program always looking to add more talent.

Unfortunately, that's all the time I've got for now, but be sure to frequent this space. In the next week or so, in addition to a good deal of analysis and reflection concerning all sports, I will be sure to include some comprehensive, position-by-position recruiting rankings plus more. But until then, be good and keep reading.