In case you don’t already know, my interest in recruiting is hardly confined to this bi-weekly space and now includes a radio outlet. Myself and a few other knowledgeable Score reps team up every Sunday on 790 The Zone for Score Atlanta’s Official Visit, a two-hour show from 1 to 3 p.m. dedicated entirely to high school recruiting. We address and debate all the biggest issues and stories on both the local and national recruiting scenes, and welcome some of the state’s top coaches and analysts as well as its finest recruits (in all sports) to the show.

In the last two weeks, we have gotten a chance to catch up with Mack Brown and JaWuan James, two of the top prospects in Georgia and the nation for the class of 2010. Brown, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound speedy running back from M.L. King caught up with us two weekends ago and provided some great insight into his recruitment. With offers from just about every major program in the country, including the nine he has gotten in the last week, Brown will have the luxury of going anywhere he wants. For now, however, three schools stand out in particular.

“Right now, Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma lead,” explained Brown.

Still, Brown is open to other schools for sure, including Alabama, who offered him nearly three weeks ago and will welcome the senior-to-be to campus sometime in March. As for what he likes about those four schools in particular and what he is looking for in a college, Brown had this say: “They are all really good schools and have good coaching staffs and they all run the ball. I am looking at the reliability of the coaching staff, the depth chart and the graduation rate at each school.”

Finally, will all the added attention Brown and other big-time recruits have received change the way the highly touted back approaches the game?

“Yes. I take every game one at a time, but when I see another big-time player I’m going to try and play extra hard,” Brown said “There’s a big target on my back right now so I’m going to have to come harder every game.”

JAMES NAMES FIVE

Recruiting has also started to pick up for JaWuan James, probably the best offensive lineman in the state. The 6-6, 293-pound North Gwinnett tackle named his top five of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Alabama and Clemson on our show last Sunday and has had good visits to the latter two in the past couple weeks.

In addition to being a standout on the football field, James is an extremely well spoken, intelligent young man who knows exactly what he wants in a college.

“I’m looking for a school that has that winning tradition and also somewhere I can bond with the coaches and the staff and the community there because I’m going to have to be there for four years,” James said confidently, as if he has experienced the recruiting process once before. “I want to be under a guy that knows what he is doing and is a great person. I also will look at the depth at my position.”

As of now, James has plans to make his final decision either sometime before or during the upcoming summer. And, unlike many other recruits, once James makes a college declaration it will be final.

“I want to wait until I’m sure and take all my visits because I don’t want to be a guy who gives a team his commitment and then takes it away. I don’t want to go out there and look at any other schools after I commit.”

Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.