UGA appears to be the frontrunner for one of the top defensive ends out of Florida who will make his college decision on Thursday afternoon.
Keyon Brown is a 6-foot-3, 248-pounder from Wauchula, Fla. The 4-star prospect will pick between UGA, Florida State and Miami at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
Brown named UGA as his leader last spring, and hasn’t changed his stance since, at least publicly. He took an official visit with the Bulldogs last week.
On Wednesday night, all 25 recruiting analysts on the 247sports Crystal Ball predictions had projected Brown to UGA.
“Georgia is No. 1, and he hasn’t officially made that verbal commitment yet; I’m pretty sure that’s what is probably going to happen but we’ll see,” Hardee High School coach Buddy Martin said.
What’s the appeal of UGA to Brown? “I think one big thing is that here (in Wauchula), there’s only one high school in the county,” Martin said. “We’re a small town. Athens isn’t necessarily small, but it has that type of home-type feel to him. That was a big part of it. His parents went up there last week, and they got to spend time with his Coach Richt and his family. I think the whole family atmosphere is a lot like what he gets here."
Brown’s chief recruiter is UGA running backs coach Bryan McClendon, while Bulldogs defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is also involved.
“As far as on the on-the-field football, Coach McClendon and Coach Grantham did a good job with explaining they want him to use him in the same role as Jarvis Jones, who was drafted in the NFL. That’s a good thing to throw around at kids. Keyon really saw himself doing that.
“He asked Coach Grantham an important question. He said ‘Most of my high school career, I’ve played with my hand of the ground. What if I get up there and I’m not as good at outside linebacker? What if I’m better at defensive end?’ Coach Grantham said ‘that’s fine.’ So in Keyon’s mind, it’s like ‘I’ll go play outside linebacker. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go play defensive end.’ He likes that they showed flexibility with him on positions.
“And again, it’s a home-type of environment where family comes first. Those things really appeal to him about Georgia.”
The other finalists, Florida State and Miami, are recruiting Brown more as a defensive end rather than outside linebacker.
Brown is rated as nation’s No. 7 weakside defensive end and No. 20 overall prospect out of Florida in the 247 composite rankings.
“The college scouts like his size, his speed, the way he moves, and how strong he is,” Martin said. “He’s a pretty freaky joker with (his physical attributes). He’s 6-3, 250 pounds and runs a 4.7 in the 40. He has a 350-pound bench press, can clean jerk 330, and has a 500-pound squat.
“He’s very smart in the classroom and on the field. He’s the leader of our defense. We run a 3-4, and he plays defensive end. He gets the other kids lined up. He has a 3.3 GPA in the classroom. He’s a very intelligent kid."
If Brown commits to UGA, he would be the team’s third highest-ranked recruit after defensive tackle Lamont Gaillard and cornerback Malkom Parrish.
Brown would also be commit No. 17 for UGA’s 2014 class.
Check back for updates this afternoon.
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