Sam Sharpe-USA Today Sports
Four ACC schools now know they are in the final five for five-star defensive tackle Andrew Brown out of Chesapeake, Virginia. He was expected to make official visits to those schools over the coming months, but has instead announced that he will make his college destination known June 29th. He’ll choose between Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Brown is the seventh overall ranked player in the country by Rivals.com, and with good reason. The 6-foot-3, 300 pounder is a one man wrecking crew on the inside, virtually unstoppable in one on one situations. He actually played defensive end for most of his career, so the move inside has been a transition. With more experience on the interior, he could become an outstanding college player.
He has solid pass rush skills and has the ability to push the pocket from the inside with his strength. He needs to work on using his hands at the point of attack in the run game, but is very difficult to move with his natural size. In time he will add bulk to his upper body, making him even tougher to stop. He’s more or less the prototypical college defensive tackle and his offer sheet reflects that.
Alabama has a shot at Brown because they’ve been the dominant program in the country for the last four or five years, but most people think he will stay in the ACC. Florida State’s defensive line coach Odell Haggins has made an impression on him, making the Seminoles a legitimate candidate to receive a commitment. Clemson has also rolled out the red carpet for Brown as well, but ultimately, it could come down to the two Virginia schools.
Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster has done really well with local recruits, and the Hokies have had great success in the ACC over the last decade. They will be tough to beat, but the one team that could do it is Virginia. Lots of mid-Atlantic players like the direction the program is headed under Mike London, and Brown is one of them. If I had to pick a favorite at this point, it would be the Cavaliers.
While we don’t know where is going just yet, the date of his announcement has now been revealed. The wait will soon be over and it looks like one ACC school is going to be very happy when they land the uber-talented defensive tackle.
B.L. is a ACC football writer for Rant Sports and can be followed @coachlip.
