Officially Reviewing 'The Official Visit'

As usual, we put another earth-shattering episode of the The Official Visit in the books on Monday and, if you missed it, you can hear our (myself and Fletcher Proctor) profound recruiting discussion in its entirety at this space a bit later in the week (or perhaps the day, depending on how energized I'm feeling…well…later).

In the meantime, I'd like to share some of the more easily documented information to come from the show, specifically that which concerns our two guests, Pepperell offensive guard Kyle Harris and Grady running back Marcus Caffey. Of course, if you follow recruiting in the State of Georgia even a little, you probably know Harris was formerly a Georgia Tech pledge, de-committing from the school last week (mid-October).

As for that decision, Harris told us that the prospect of being a student-athlete (and, here, I am referring to what that term used to mean) at a top academic institution like Tech was an intimidating one, and also expressed a specific desire to play his college ball in the SEC, saying he “wants that challenge”. Most interesting, however, was Harris’s explanation for why he originally chose the Yellow Jackets. While he acknowledged that playing near home was initially appealing, he said he really committed to Tech as a result of the pressure its coaches put on him to commit early. According to Harris, Paul Johnson and company made him feel “rushed” to commit and fill one of only a few available spots for offensive linemen in the Class of 2011.

As for where Harris stands now, as of Monday it sounded like he was all but committed to South Carolina, and he would represent the seventh prospect from Georgia to commit to the Gamecocks in Class of 2011, joining Mason Harris, Martay Mattox, Lorenzo Mauldin, Quincy McKinney, Edward Muldrow, and Angelo Watley. Others have mentioned that Tennessee and Ole Miss may be in the running, but Harris didn’t really seem too interested in either. He did, however, also mention that he is thinking about taking an official visit to Auburn, though this is mostly smoke without the fire. Finally, the high school offensive guard expressed a willingness to play anywhere he’s needed, but did mention a preference for playing center at the next level.

Now, while Caffey’s recruitment isn’t quite as transparent as Harris’s, he too was very open with his thoughts. About a month or so ago, the Grady star had South Carolina as his leader, but he and the rest of the nation have taken notice of one Marcus Lattimore, and even Caffey admitted he wants none of that. He did also mention, though, that he is open to playing defensive back in college and, based on his size, I assume that means the safety position specifically. He did not, however, differentiate between schools and what position each is recruiting him to play.

Marcus talked about Kentucky as well, and expressed some loyalty since it was the second school to extend an offer, but he seemed much more excited when talking about two northern schools, Illinois and Purdue. Mostly, Caffey thinks he can see the field much earlier in the Big 10 than in the SEC, and that is at least one of his considerations in coming to a decision.

Still, though, if Georgia comes through with an offer by January – and that is a Caffey-mandated deadline, not one I made up – the Bulldogs will be very tough to beat. And, to me, they are crazy if they don’t give the kid a serious look; as of now, they haven’t even talked to him.

Looking at Georgia’s running back board right now, it’s either Isaiah Crowell or bust. The problem is, Isaiah won’t announce his decision until late in the process, and by then Georgia may have no other options. So, then, I ask, what’s a bigger risk: Taking Caffey now and risking that you sign two backs in this class when you maybe only wanted one, or playing hardball with Caffey, missing out on Crowell, and ending up with no one? I know for sure that I prefer risking the former.

So that is, unfortunately, all for today’s lesson, CLASS. Until next time, be good and keep reading.

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.