Monday, March 11, 2013
Brown Jr. talks top seven, decision plans
By Kipp Adams
SUWANEE, Ga. – Continuing where he left off at the Under Armour All-America Combine, ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) had another outstanding performance at the VTOSports Prep 100 Camp Sunday, coming away with OL MVP honors after winning 1-on-1 battles against ESPN Watch List linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) and 2015 standout D’Andre Walker (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes).
The 6-foot-8, 345-pound lineman recently narrowed his extensive list of offers to a top seven, and he discussed what stands out about each of them.
Alabama: "Coach (Nick) Saban is a great coach and great recruiter and I am into winning championships, so Alabama is the place to be."
Oklahoma: "They have Coach (Bob) Stoops who has done great things in the past. I feel he is rebuilding the Sooners into a national championship caliber team and they definitely have a chance to win the Big 12."
Arkansas: "We all know what Coach (Bret) Bielema did at Wisconsin, so that is going to transfer well into the SEC as far as developing players and having a strong running game."
Ohio State: "They have Urban Meyer and Coach (Ed) Warinner, who won offensive line coach of the year. They are building a national championship team."
Michigan: "They have Coach (Brady) Hoke, who is coming off a pretty good season. They have a great offensive line coach in Coach [Darrell] Funk and that is definitely somewhere I would like to go."
Iowa: "They have Coach (Kirk) Ferentz, who coached my dad in the 90s, and I really like them as far as putting players in the NFL, specifically at offensive tackle."
South Carolina: "I took a visit up there and it is a great campus and a great school. Steve Spurrier and Coach (Shawn) Elliot are great guys and they definitely have a chance to win the SEC Championship and compete for a National Championship."
Brown says he hopes to trim his list to a top three before his senior season, and plans to make his decision after the season. His next planned trips are to Arkansas and Oklahoma during his spring break.
