Several teams have started to stand out to the Class of 2023 wide receiver from Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Tennessee, which hosted him on his first recruiting visit in October, is among them and has shown him plenty of attention since joining the race for him in November.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Brown said Sunday that the Vols, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri are among the teams currently standing out to him. He said he’s hearing from Tennessee coach
Josh Heupel’s staff about “once a week,” led by Heupel himself and wide receivers coach
Kodi Burns, and the Vols have made it clear to him that he’s one of their in-state priorities.
“I talk to Coach Heupel a lot, Coach Burns and (offensive analyst Kelsey) Pope a lot,” said Brown, who’s ranked the No. 347 overall prospect and No. 45 wide receiver in the 2023 class and the No. 9 junior from the state of Tennessee, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
“They always check in on me. They see me as a big priority, and they’re always trying to get me up there to see the program and just hang out with them.”
Brown soon will get a chance to do that. He said he’s scheduled to return to Tennessee on March 5 for its next junior day, and he’s looking forward to taking a closer look at the Vols after visiting them for the first time Oct. 9 to attend their home game against South Carolina.
“I’ve only been there that one time,” he said. “(I want to see) just the campus and then connect with the coaches — get to know them and build that bond more.”
He hasn’t forgotten the experience of seeing his first game at Neyland Stadium.
“Really, just the environment was crazy,” Brown said. “It was my first college visit, so it was pretty crazy. The fans were crazy, and then their overall game and the offense they run just stood out to me.”
Heupel’s fast-paced offense, which made Tennessee one of the SEC’s highest-scoring teams during the 2021 season, is one of the things Brown likes about the Vols.
“They obviously have that family-oriented environment in their team, and then I also like their offense,” Brown said. “And the way Coach Heupel is just coaching them up and everything, it’s pretty good.”
Brown said Tennessee’s coaches have told him that he’s “very versatile,” potentially capable of lining up as either an outside receiver or in the slot.
“They like my route-running,” he said. “I’m very consistent catching-wise, so they just like that about me.”
