Recruiting Profile
The Name Game: Brigham Signs with BYU
by Rhiannon Potkey, 12 December 2017
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Brigham Andrus knows what everyone is thinking. He's ready for the obvious question to come.
A Mormon tennis player named Brigham from the state of Utah has to sign with Brigham Young University right?
Brigham Andrus Signed To Play at BYU
“I hear about that a lot,” Andrus said. “People tease me by saying the only reason I got into school was because my name was Brigham. Or they say 'Brigham is going to BYU? What a shocker.' I laugh. I think it's pretty funny.”
Andrus did the expected, signing with BYU last month. The three-star Highland native will be a member of the 2020 class following a two-year LDS mission.
Outside of his first name, Andrus has many other connections to BYU.
His father, Dean, graduated from BYU. His older brother, Brocton, has signed to play with BYU and will join the Cougars once he returns from his mission in North Carolina next year.
His coach, Georgy Batrakov, ranks tied for third on the BYU career singles victories list with 98, and has the second-highest career singles winning percentage (0.742, 98-34 record) in program history.
Although Andrus kept his options slightly open, he committed on the spot once BYU head coach Brad Pearce called to offer him a scholarship.
“I definitely always wanted to go there. It was one of my top choices,” Andrus said. “I talked to a few other schools, but once BYU started talking to me I didn't really talk to any other colleges anymore.”
Batrakov wasn't surprised when Andrus made his commitment to BYU official.
“His whole family is very true blue, and if you name your son Brigham you don't have too many options right? You can't go to another college if you are named Brigham,” Batrakov said with a laugh. “He's always been a huge BYU fan and has always wanted to be a part of BYU tennis and represent the school.”
