Brandon McIlwain is already staking his claim as one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2016.
The Newtown, Pa., dual-threat signal caller already has offers from some of the top programs in the country including Tennessee, Ohio State, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Penn State, South Carolina, UCLA, Wisconsin and more.
He recently made a southern swing to check out several schools like Clemson, North Carolina, Duke and he made his way to Rocky Top because of his already strong relationship with Vol offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian.
"I have been talking to Tennessee and coach Jake for a while and I have a good relationship with him and they have a very good offense so it was somewhere I really wanted to visit and I was able to make the trip out there," McIlwain said.
And once the 6-foot, 205-pound quarterback was at Tennessee he left no doubt of his impressions.
"I loved it. Talking to coach Bajakian was great and I got to work out with them so that was cool and being able to see everything they have and the campus was amazing," McIlwain said. "The things that they have, it was very impressive and I liked it a lot."
McIlwain explained that his time getting tutored by Bajakian was the meaningful part of his Tennessee experience.
"The thing that was most impressive was really coach Bajakian," McIlwain offered. "The way that he knows how to get a quarterback pro ready and the knowledge that he has of the quarterback position and the way he can prepare a quarterback not only for games, but for the pro game is awesome."
McIlwain has been able to take numerous visits this summer, including most recently to Cal on the West Coast. Next up is a tour through Big 10 country to see several more schools and Council rock North star is enjoying the ride.
"It's been amazing," McIlwain said. "It's been a great experience being able to go see all of these places and get coaching from all these different coaches who have all coached at the high school, college and professional level. It's been fun and I'm happy I've been able to check them out."
And while McIlwain enjoys the visits he also know they serve a purpose as he evaluates each school when he's on their campus.
"When I go one the visits the main thing is really about talking to these coaches and the feeling I get when talking to these coaches and if I think I'm going to be able to have a relationship with them and work with them and be able to reach my full potential with them," McIlwain explained. "That's very big for me.
"Also, the academics at the school. Academics are very important for me and a school with good academics helps. But, football-wise it will be the relationship with the coaches, the offense they run and really, their interest in me are the big things."
