Mark Brazinski, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound, three-star offensive center from Immaculata High School in Somerville, N.J., will, as previously reported, be making his announcement at the Under-Armour All-America game on Jan. 4.
"The hats I'll have with me on the table are Florida State, California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Boston College," Brazinski said. "It's now between these five schools and I'll be sitting down with my family to compare and contrast everything.
"I think it'll come down to how I fit in with the players and how the academics fit me," he said.
Brazinski, ranked as Scout.com’s No. 1 offensive center in the country, has scholarship offers from all of his favorites as well as Rutgers and Syracuse, neither of which he is considering.
He's already taken three official visits, with his latest to Cal on Dec. 19. "There was a huge snowstorm in New Jersey that weekend," Brazinski said. "So as everyone over there was shoveling snow. I was wearing shorts surrounded by palm trees. It's a huge difference between the East Coast and West Coast, but football is football and they love football at Cal."
Brazinski's player host was Bears sophomore offensive lineman Mark Boskovich.
Another thing the Bears have going for them is their academics. "Cal has a great business school and that's what I want to major in," he said. "I guess they are ranked as the third best business program in the country and I really like how the coaches and players really value academics and that it's important to them."
Brazinski was also impressed with Cal's performance against Miami in the Emerald Bowl. "They've got to like six bowl games in a row now and have won like five," he said. "They're obviously a successful team. Their center now is a senior, so there's a good chance I'd be able to play early."
His first official visit was on Oct. 25 to North Carolina for the Boston College game. "That was a real fun trip," Brazinski said. "The weather was great and I liked how easy going everyone was. The players were all really chill people.
"The campus is great too," he said. "It's very unique. You can pretty much divide it into thirds. One third is kind of like Princeton and looks like an Ivy League, another third is more of a city-type atmosphere and the final third is like a typical college."
He also visited Boston College officially on Nov. 8 when they took on Notre Dame. "Boston is a great area," he said. "And the Notre Dame game was great. The fans were all going nuts because it's a pretty big rivalry.
"I liked Boston College because it's a metropolis area," he said. "There's a lot of stuff to do and there's always something going on over there. It never slows down."
Although Brazinski hasn't had a chance (and won't) to visit Florida State officially before making his decision, he says the 'Noles are still very much in the race. "I love their tradition," he said. "Coach Bobby Bowden wins a lot of games and they always have great players.
"Plus the weather there is pretty great too, so they've got a lot going for them," he said.
Brazinski says he didn't follow a specific program as a youngster. "I usually rooted for players and offenses," he said. "I never had a favorite team."
But he did root for his brothers and their programs. Older brother Brian Brazinski graduated from Pennsylvania last year after playing offensive line for the Quakers. He also has another brother, Peter Brazinski, who is a sophomore offensive lineman for Bucknell.
"My brothers tell me to look at the school and not the coaches," he said. "They said that coaches can always leave and that I need to make sure I love the school and that it's a good fit for me academically."
Brazinski says he can bench an impressive 360-pounds and squats 585. He also runs the forty in 5.2 and has a 23-inch vertical jump. "I have a good lower body and keep moving my feet," he said.
"Run blocking is my niche and I'm able to make big holes," he said. "But I still want to improve my speed. I think every lineman will tell you they need to get faster."
He helped lead his team to a 10-2 record and the group three state finals.
Brazinski plans to major in business with a focus on finance and reports a 3.7 core GPA and 28 ACT.