Armstrong breaks down his Power Five offers
Shelby, Ohio three-star class of 2018 quarterback Brennan Armstrong is consumed with preparations for his junior football season, but he took time to look back on a summer that saw his scholarship options increase.
The 6-foot-1, 184-pound Armstrong is up to six offers after a couple additions this summer. The momentum, though, really kicked off at the end of the Spring Evaluation Period when he landed his first ACC offer from Virginia.
“They started talking to me really early,” Armstrong said. “Coach (Garrett) Tujague, the offensive line coach, was my original recruiter. He was the one who got ahold of my coach and kind of started the process.”
Armstrong has since been able to visit Charlottesville and came away with a strong impression of the University of Virginia.
“The place down there is great and the coaches are fantastic,” he said. “I love Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall.”
Virginia was soon followed by Armstrong’s second ACC offer that came from North Carolina after he attended the Tar Heel’s camp in June.
“The place was beautiful, the coaches were great and the stadium was awesome,” Armstrong said of North Carolina. “The camp, in general, was just different. We were there for 12 straight hours and had our breakfast, lunch and dinner there. We had film room and then we had practice. It was really unique and the whole camp setup was different than what I was used to, but I really liked it a lot.”
Additional offers have come through for Armstrong from Iowa State, Kent State, Toledo and Ohio University. The Power Five schools have an advantage heading into Armstrong’s junior year.
“North Carolina, Virginia and Iowa State – those would probably be my higher ones,” Armstrong said. “If I didn’t get any more, those would be the top three for sure.”
Iowa State offered earlier than either North Carolina or Virginia, and he has a long-standing relationship with Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell.
“Coach Campbell liked me a lot at Toledo,” Armstrong said. “As soon as he got settled at Iowa State he offered me there too. He has stuck with me since day one.
“I really do need to (visit) because they have done a lot for me. I don’t know if it is going to be for a game, but I do need to get out there.”
With his mind on the upcoming season Armstrong has put recruiting on the back burner, but he does not plan to take an unnecessarily long amount of time choosing his college destination.
“Obviously I have been talking to my parents and my head coach,” Armstrong said. “Coaches like QBs committing early so you can help out with recruiting the class. I keep that in consideration too.
“I think by the end of my junior year I should know. Not, technically, right after football season, but during summer going into my senior year I’ll probably commit during that time.”
Besides the schools that have offered, Armstrong said he is also receiving significant interest from Rutgers and could visit Piscataway in the coming months as well.