The state’s No. 1 recruit, Lanier’s Derrick Brown, chose Auburn in a late signing ceremony at the Gwinnett County high school on Wednesday.
Brown, a 6-foot-3, 317-pound defensive tackle, was coveted by the entire SEC in addition to big-name programs from all over the country.
Here are three things to know about Brown:
1. About four times a game, on average, during Brown’s career, Lanier coaches would look at each other and say, “I’ve never seen that before.”
“They would throw a perimeter screen, and he would be on the opposite side of the line from where the screen was going,” recalled Lanier assistant coach Todd Welborn. “He ran to the play and made a diving tackle for about a 3-yard gain. When you’ve got a 320-pound kid running the width of the field to make a tackle, you just look around and say, ‘I’ve never see that happen before.’”
It’s stories like that made Brown, the most-coveted recruit in the state. And he made them all wait until the end.
2. Brown, a 6-3, 325-pound defensive tackle, had offers from everywhere. The entire SEC wanted him. So did Florida State, Clemson, Stanford and Wisconsin. Georgia and Auburn appeared to be in a neck-and-neck battle down to National Signing Day.
3. There was no coasting during the senior season for this charismatic five-star recruit. Nope, the state’s top-ranked prospect had a monster year with 106 tackles (for a defensive tackle!), 42 tackles for loss (42!), 12 sacks and an interception returned 31 yards for a touchdown. That was just on defense. He scored a touchdown as a monster wildcat quarterback and also caught a touchdown pass. Oh, he also blocked a punt on special teams.
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