How Irmo QB AJ Brand balances multiple sports, playing for dad and being a top recruit

The high school football season is underway around the state of South Carolina.

Each week, The State will feature a question-and-answer segment with a prominent high school football player or coach in the Midlands along with this week’s schedule and the top games to watch.

This week, we talked with Irmo junior quarterback AJ Brand, one of the state’s top prospects in the Class of 2025. Brand started his season last week with a big performance against Chapin, throwing for 220 yards and rushing for 120 with three total touchdowns.

Irmo hosts Lancaster this week.

Lou Bezjak: What was like growing up with your dad as a coach and being around football. What were some of your earliest memories?

AJ Brand: “When my dad was at Vance High (in Charlotte), I got to be a ball boy and seeing all those guys on the sideline and saying, ‘Oh, AJ, you are going to be good.’ So I really have been pushing hard to give them something to look at later in life. … It definitely had an impact on me and gave me a love for the game, especially being around guys that made it somewhere. It gave me a push to lean toward the football way.”

LB: What is it like to play for your dad?

AJ: “Sometimes it is a hassle, but it is great because I get to learn a lot from him. He has been doing it for a long time.”

LB: You have been getting a lot of college interest. South Carolina has offered and likes you on defense. Give me an update of your top schools. Do you have any visits set up?

AJ: “Charlotte offered me my ninth grade year, but then they got a new coaching staff. But they offered me back at a spring practice. I got offers from South Carolina, South Carolina State, The Citadel and Miami (Ohio). I got interest from West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion and James Madison.

“I definitely love South Carolina. They are showing me a lot of interest and love. Regardless of where I play on the ball, I will be fine with it. I got a lot of the South Carolina coaches contacting, so everything is going pretty good right now. They have told me I have great size, meet the eye test and the film is good, but they also have given me stuff I have worked on.

“As far as visits, I definitely have to get up to Virginia Tech, get to South Carolina, Old Dominion and West Virginia. Those have sent me game invites.”

LB: You were a part of Irmo’s state basketball championship team last year. What was that like and what is like to play for coach Tim Whipple?

AJ: “I loved it. Just being part of a different culture, playing style and coach helped me be prepared for anything. It was great playing for coach Whipple. He is on us, but most of the time he is laid back. He has been doing it for a lot of years, so he knows what he is talking about. So my best bet is just to listen to him.”

LB: If you are building a perfect quarterback from anyone in history, what kind of attributes from different ones are you taking?

AJ: “I am definitely taking Tom Brady’s IQ/winning ability. I am taking Patrick Mahomes’ arm, Lamar Jackson’s legs and probably Peyton Manning’s thinking and his ability to read the field.”

LB: What is a hidden talent that is something that people don’t know about you?

AJ: “I used to sing a little bit in the choir and play drums at church. People also didn’t expect me to play two sports. Nobody knew I played basketball until this year. They were like, ‘AJ, you play basketball?’ I have been playing basketball as long as I was playing football. People don’t know I played baseball either.”

LB: How good of a baseball player were you?

AJ: “On a scale of 1-10, probably a six. Not that bad but not that good.”

Five must-see games this week

Andrew Jackson (0-0) at Fairfield Central (1-0): Both teams ranked in top 10 of Class 2A. Second meeting between two schools. FC won, 41-21, last year. Fairfield Central is No. 4 and Andrew Jackson is No. 6. ... FC quarterback Cam McMillon threw for 244 yards and 2 TDs last week against Carvers Bay. Receiver Ty Grier had 6 catches for 101 yards in the game and Chancey Turner had 11 tackles and a sack. ... Debut of new Andrew Jackson coach Jeremy Smith. Andrew Jackson running back Trey Thompson rushed for 2,509 yards and 37 touchdowns last season.

Brookland-Cayce (1-0) at Airport (1-0): Matchup between two Lexington 2 rivals. Airport leads the all-time series, 46-34 but Brookland-Cayce has won seven of the last eight. ... B-C’s Deshawn Washington had three touchdowns in season-opening win over Harding. ... Airport quarterback Jesse Hoover had 271 all-purpose yards and four touchdown passes, all to Avery Jones, in the Eagles’ win over Swansea. Jones finished with nine catches for 149 yards. It was the Airport’s first season-opening win since 2020.

Heathwood Hall (1-0) at Ben Lippen (1-0): Heathwood leads all-time series, 15-12, and had won four straight in the series before Ben Lippen won, 34-6, last year. ... Ben Lippen scored 62 points last week against Asheville Christian, its highest point total since scoring 63 against Cardinal Newman last year. Ben Lippen QB Jayvon Gilmore threw for 251 yards and five TDs last week and Taevian Copney had 286 all-purpose yards and five total TDs. Ben Lippen had 525 yards of total offense in its opener. ... Heathwood QB Patrick Belk had 226 yards of total offense and accounted for five TDs in a win over Great Falls last week.

Ridge View (1-0) at Sumter (1-0): Game is WACH Fox Sonic Friday Night Rivals Game of the Week. Sumter leads the all-time series, 6-2, including a 15-14 win last season. ... Ridge View is ranked No. 10 tied in Class 4A and Sumter is No. 6 in 5A. Ridge View quarterback Breylon Boyd threw 3 TDs to Jordon Gidron in last week’s win over Blythewood. Running back Siah Mack rushed for 141 yards and a TD. Myles Brown had 11 tackles and a sack for the Blazers. ... Sumter QB Pate Merchant threw for 239 yards and 3 TDs in a win over Lakewood. Running back John Peeples rushed for 3 TDs and WR Jamirh Bey caught 5 passes for 120 yards and 3 TDs.

Spartanburg (0-1 ) at Dutch Fork (0-1): Dutch Fork leads all-time series, 4-0, including winning twice over the Vikings last year. Silver Foxes won in regular season, 29-27, on a last-second field goal by Justin Welch and then routed Spartanburg, 63-14, in the playoffs. ... Dutch Fork starting QB Jon Hunt is expected to miss several weeks with a grade 3 AC joint separation suffered in Saturday’s loss to Colquitt (Ga.). Sophomore Ethan Offing came in for Hunt last week and is expected to get the start Friday. Offing is the son of former South Carolina standout Andre Offing, who is an assistant coach at Dutch Fork. Dutch Fork hasn’t started 0-2 since 2015. Tyler Jones had 13 tackles and Peyton Betts picked off two passes last week for Dutch Fork. ... Spartanburg lost its opener to South Pointe, 16-14. Tamijai Johnson had a TD pass to Justin Rice and the Vikings also blocked a punt for a touchdown

This week’s schedule

Thursday

North Central at Hannah-Pamplico, 7 p.m.

Eau Claire at Hunter Kinard-Tyler, 7:30 p.m.

Dreher at AC Flora, 7:30 p.m.

Pelion at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Westwood at Lower Richland, 7:30 p.m.

Friday

8 p.m. kickoff

Andrew Jackson at Fairfield Central, 8 p.m.

Blythewood at Richland Northeast, 8 p.m.

Brookland-Cayce at Airport, 8 p.m.

Crestwood at Gray Collegiate, 8 p.m.

Lancaster at Irmo, 8 p.m.

Mid-Carolina at Chapin, 8 p.m.

Richard Winn at Laurens Academy, 8 p.m.

Ridge Spring-Monetta at Saluda, 8 p.m.

River Bluff at Swansea, 8 p.m.

South Aiken at Lexington, 8 p.m.

White Knoll at Spring Valley, 8 p.m.

7:30 p.m. kickoff

Batesburg-Leesville at Gilbert

CA Johnson at Trinity Collegiate

Cardinal Newman at Pee Dee Academy

Florence Christian at Hammond

Heathwood Hall at Ben Lippen

Lugoff-Elgin at Camden

Newberry Academy at Oakbrook Prep

Northside Christian at Greenwood Christian

Orangeburg-Wilkinson at Keenan, canceled.

Ridge View at Sumter

Spartanburg at Dutch Fork

WW King at Wardlaw