Marlon Brown has broken some recruiters’ hearts.

The News Sentinel’s top prospect in the state has cut his list of college suitors to six schools: Tennessee, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and LSU.

That means UCLA, Stanford, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are out of the mix.

Only one official visit is already planned — a trip to Knoxville to check out the Vols (probably on Sept. 20 for the Florida game). The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Brown has long said he’s very fond of UT. The feeling is mutual.

The Vols have put on the full court press for the star receiver from Harding Academy in Memphis. Brown said he certainly feels like a big priority for the Vols, having heard from them at every opportunity the NCAA allows.

UT coach Phillip Fulmer, wide receivers coach Latrell Scott and running backs coach Stan Drayton have all played a part in recruiting Brown.

Brown said he’s especially pleased to have Scott as one of his primary recruiters since Scott would be Brown’s position coach if he selects UT.

“He’s a cool guy to talk to on the phone, real cool,” Brown said.

UT basketball coach Bruce Pearl has also gotten into the mix for Brown, who wants to play football and basketball in college. Pearl has often been courtside during Brown’s summer league games.

“I was real impressed by that,” Brown said.

Many have pointed to USC as the Vols’ chief competition, especially since Brown took a whirlwind trip to the West Coast to check out the Trojans, Bruins and Cardinal.

Brown, however, said he’s not even sure if he’ll take an official visit to Los Angeles for another peek at USC.

Brown caught 41 passes for 870 yards and six touchdowns and rushed 56 times for 640 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. In a limited role as a defensive back, Brown also had a touchdown on an interception and a fumble return.

On the basketball court, Brown averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game last season.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.