Up Close and Personal: CB D.J. Brown

If there’s a catchphrase that Penn State fans associate with James Franklin, it’s the one he uttered on his first day as the Nittany Lions’ head coach: Dominate the state. Franklin didn’t mince words when he sat in front of the media that day in January 2014. He knew the message he was sending, and in every one of his recruiting classes, he has followed through on his pledge to land many of Pennsylvania’s best high school prospects.

But there are 49 other states, and it’s also become clear during the past three years that Franklin is trying to take the program to a new level, a national level. As part of that effort, he and his staff have ventured into the Southeast, pulling in Grant Haley, Torrence Brown and Christian Campbell, among others. The latest prospect from that region to sign with the Lions is cornerback D.J. Brown.

Brown, who hails from Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga., said he didn’t follow Penn State when he was younger.

“Growing up in the South, it was always Georgia, Alabama, Florida. I was following Tim Tebow and Cam [Newton],” he said. “The first time I really heard about Penn State was the scandal. Honestly, when Coach [Terry] Smith came to the school to recruit me, I didn’t think twice about it. Penn State was far from a dream school or anything like that.”

As time went on, Smith became a key factor in Brown’s recruitment, just as he had with the team’s other Georgia players. Smith, who recruits the Atlanta area for Penn State, built a strong relationship with Brown before most other Power Five programs offered. More important, he also showed Brown’s family that he was committed to being much more than just another football coach.

“He was the first thing that really stood out to me,” Brown said. “Without Coach Smith, I don’t know if I would have ever even visited Penn State. He made it clear to me and my family that he was always going to look after me and take care of me, and that meant a lot to my family.”

But like so many prospects who end their recruitment early – Brown committed April 25, three days after visiting for the 2016 Blue-White Game – the 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback considered a few other programs that made a major push after his announcement, notably Colorado, California and Mississippi State. However, after considering official visits to all three schools, as well as others, he decided to not explore those options.

“It had nothing to do with Penn State or anything like that,” Brown said. “It was mainly just because I committed so early and then I had a lot of other schools, schools that I wasn’t really talking to before my commitment, come after me. I did talk to them a little bit and I did consider visits, but at the end of the day, I just kind of reminded myself on why I committed to Penn State in the first place. The academics and the football program are both on an incredible level that not many can match.”

Brown enrolled at Penn State back in June and he's already showing the coaching staff just how hard he’s been working. While it looks likely that Brown will use his redshirt this season, he knows that his path to playing time has already begun.

“I just want to show the coaches my athleticism and what I’ve been working on all spring and summer," Brown said, during a previous interview before he enrolled. "I would love to play right away, but I know that this is a different level now. I have to prove myself all over again. That’s why [I worked] so hard this off-season, probably harder than I’ve ever worked before."