It was a lot of fun, Brown said. I talked to a lot of the coaches and the new coaches. The whole trip was very informative.
While Tennessee has undergone a whirlwind of coaching changes since the conclusion of the 2011 season, Brown says it hasnt affected his recruitment much at all with Tennessee defensive line coach Lance Thompson leading the charge.
It is not as big as (of a factor) as you might think it would be, Brown said of the coaching changes. It is really not. Coaches change wherever you go. There is no complete guarantee that you are going to have the same coaches all four years. It is a factor, but you really just want to look at the players and what it will be like playing with them for four years.
Brown did get a chance to converse with his perspective new coach at Tennessee, defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri, the former assistant head coach and outside linebackers coach at Alabama.
He is a good coach, he said. I talked with him and he definitely knows what he is talking about. He is a very interesting guy. He definitely knows what he is talking about that is for sure.
Brown, a three-star prospect by Scout.com, was definitely wooed with the lay of the land at Tennessee, both academically and athletically, calling everything UT had to offer amazing.
They definitely do have top-notch facilities everywhere you go and they are still trying to make improvements, Brown said. You really do have to try to fail here. If you fail here it is probably your own fault. The academic side is just amazing. They have a really good program going on the academic side.
On the athletic side, they are going to have the best facilities in the country soon. I saw the plans and everything and it is going to be really nice.
Culture (is most important) How I see myself fitting in over the next four years, he said. The people are very important to me. It is a really in-depth thing and you really have to take your time in recruiting. I am trying to play it as smart as I can.
Brown will focus on player relationships, which he said got off to a wonderful start during his first look at Tennessee while hosted by fellow linebacker John Prospt.
(Propst) is a great guy, he said. We had a really good time together. I hung out with a lot of the other recruits too. There were a lot of good guys there. Everybody there were really good guys and we got along really well.
All the prospects got a chance to take in the sights of the Tennessee basketball showdown with border rival Kentucky, which was a solid showcase of Big Orange fandom.
The Tennessee fans were awesome and really good people, Brown said. A lot of them were screaming at us and being friendly. They are good people. You can tell they are true fans and they try to support their team any way they can.
