Predictions
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
April is a pretty good sports month on the calendar. Opening day for MLB, final four in college basketball, Masters, NFL draft.
It is an action-packed month on the sports landscape.
Here are some of my predictions for the month of April, and notice that I put my predictions in writing, which is much different than some guy I do a Saturday morning radio show with.
1.The Atlanta Braves will win the NL East, but they will not be leading the division at the end of April.
It may take a few weeks for the Braves bats to heat up if Spring Training was any indication.
The pitching staff will keep this team in games until the bats come around.
Ronald Acuna Jr. will hit 10 home runs during the month of April. Acuna will be the one hot bat in the lineup until the others follow suit.
2.The Baylor Bears will win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship by beating Gonzaga in the championship game. This Baylor team is complete and will show that to the nation this weekend.
3.With the Roy Williams retirement look for North Carolina to lure a big-name coach from another program.
Mark Few of Gonzaga or Jay Wright of Villanova will be the next head basketball coach at UNC.
Carolina has struggled lately on the hardcourt. Tony Bennett of Virginia is a name to watch as well for this opening if the two above balk.
4.Jon Rahm will win The Masters. Rahm finished 4th in 2018, and has top 4 finishes in the US Open and PGA Championship since 2018.
Rahm is due to win a major and his game is just too good not to have a Green Jacket.
5.The Jacksonville Jaguars will select Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence with the first overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. This has been a lock since last Christmas.
6.The Atlanta Falcons trade the 4th overall selection to the Denver Broncos and get out of the QB sweepstakes and take Oregon OL Penei Sewell with the 9th selection in the first round and gain draft capital from Denver by trading down and take the best offensive lineman in the draft to protect Matt Ryan in the twilight of his career.
7.With 5 QB’s being taken in the first 8 selections possibly it means some terrific players slide down the first-round draft board.
8.The Jaguars, who also select at pick 2,5 have LB Azeez Ojulari of UGA fall right into their lap to pump some life into a pass rush that only registered 18 sacks in 2020.
This would be a dream scenario for Jacksonville.
9.By the end of April former Glynn Academy two sport star Randon Jernigan settles into a starting slot in UGA outfield in time to make an impact as Georgia improves down the stretch in the 2021 season.
Currently batting .261, Jernigan boosts his batting average to around .300 going into the SEC tournament and will lead the Bulldogs in stolen bases.
10.Mike Soroka finishes his rehab assignment and is activated by the Braves by the end of April. Soroka will go on and have a great year for Atlanta.
Bonus Pick: The Glynn Academy Red Terror baseball team will win Region 2-AAAAAA and will be the number one seed from this region in the State playoffs.
There you have it folks. If you have some extra cash floating around then I have given you sure bets to fatten your wallet.
