Signed: D.J. Brown
WHAT HE DID During a 5-5 season at Creekside, Brown was credited with 28 tackles and three interceptions to go along with seven passes broken up and a forced fumble, according to stats compiled by PennLive.com.
WHAT HE WON Rated by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, Brown was named All-Region and was the Creekside Defensive Player of the Year for his senior season. Additionally, Rivals rated him the 56th-best cornerback in the country and the No. 58 prospect in Georgia.
WHERE HE VISITED Earning an offer from Penn State last spring, Brown made a priority of visiting State College shortly thereafter. Having already established a strong relationship with Nittany Lion cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, Brown was enthralled by the energy and environment of the Penn State visit on Blue-White Weekend. As a result, in spite of offers from the likes of California, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, Northwestern, UCF, UCLA and Wisconsin, and unofficial visits to Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee and Notre Dame, Brown pulled the trigger with a commitment to the Nittany Lions just a week later. In October, he returned to Penn State for an unofficial visit and saw the Nittany Lions upset then-No. 2 Ohio State. Saving his official visit, Brown returned the weekend of Jan. 20 to be with the other verbally committed prospects in Penn State’s Class of 2017.
QUOTABLE Rivals.com recruiting analyst Woody Wommack: “He’s grown nicely, he’s got long arms, exactly what you would look for in a defensive back. I think his stock is only going to continue to rise as the process moves along. He’s got a versatile skill set to maybe move around and play the nickel or to play corner.”
PHIL’S TAKE Brown is a versatile defensive back who could see action at cornerback, nickel back and maybe even free safety. He’s also a top student-athlete who had an offer from Harvard. He can play press man-to-man coverage, has excellent hand-eye coordination and breaks well on the football. He will most likely redshirt as a freshman, after which I expect him to begin his Penn State career at the field cornerback spot.