AJ Brand, Irmo star and Virginia Tech signee, wins SC Gatorade Player of Year
The week just keeps getting better for AJ Brand.
On Wednesday, the Irmo High School quarterback signed with Virginia Tech. On Friday, Brand was named the S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year, given to the top player in the state for contributions on and off the field.
“It’s just a testimony to my hard work, my teammates coaches and family pushing me everyday to be the best and I don’t want to let them down,” Brand told The State on Friday. “It’s very special and has been one of my dreams ever since I knew about the award.”
It’s the second time in three years an area player has won the award. Tailback Jarvis Green (Dutch Fork) won it in 2022. Prior to that, the last local winner was Spring Valley’s Leon Hart in 2003. Overall, seven area players have won the honor since it began in 1985.
The 247Sports Composite rankings consider Brand as a three-star prospect and the No. 19 recruit in South Carolina. Brand is part of a talented QB class in South Carolina with Westside’s Cutter Woods (South Carolina) and Richland Northeast’s Will Wilson (N.C. State) signing at Power 4 Schools.
“AJ is the most dynamic player I have seen since I have been here in South Carolina 14 and a half years,” Dutch Fork coach Tom Knotts said earlier this season. “He is a competitor, a great athlete, and got a great jump cut. He’s probably 220 pounds and he can run over you and run by you. He is accurate when he throws it. He is the total package.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback has been one of the driving forces of the Yellow Jackets’ offense the last three years after playing receiver as a freshman.
So far this season, Brand has passed for 2,358 yards and 27 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,647 yards and 22 scores through 12 games. For his career, he has 11,265 total yards and 143 touchdowns, all Irmo records. Irmo is in the playoff semifinals for the second-straight season.
The Yellow Jackets play White Knoll on Friday, and the winner advances to the Class 5A Division II state championship. Irmo is looking for its first title game appearance since 2006.
Off the field, he has a 3.9 GPA, is a drummer at his church and volunteered locally with Special Olympics and Young Men United, a mentoring program associated with Irmo High.
Area SC Gatorade Football Players of Year
2024 — AJ Brand, Irmo
2022 — Jarvis Green, Dutch Fork
2003 — Leon Hart, Spring Valley
2001 — Demetris Summers, Lexington
1999 — Michael Boulware, Spring Valley
1992 — Nathan Perryman, Columbia
1990 — Bobby Engram, Camden
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 8:59 AM.
