Receiver Brown is the clear-cut No. 1 prospect

Photo by Memphis Commercial Appeal

Harding Academy’s Marlon Brown races down the sideline during a game this season. Brown has listed Tennessee among the colleges he is still considering, along with Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and LSU.

Harding Academy’s Marlon Brown races down the sideline during a game this season. Brown has listed Tennessee among the colleges he is still considering, along with Ohio State, Georgia, Florida and LSU.

Click to view enlarge the graphic "News Sentinel Top 20 Prospects"

As the holidays come and go, the pressure mounts on Marlon Brown.

With little more than six weeks until National Signing Day, the prospect named the News Sentinel's best in the state realizes he must soon make his highly anticipated decision.

"I'm ready for it but I'm also nervous about it," the 6-foot-5, 205-pound receiver from Harding Academy in Memphis said. "This is a huge decision in my life right now."

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, LSU and Florida are the semifinalists. Brown said he won't pare down his list until just before signing day. Don't expect any other hints anytime soon.

"When I announce, I'm going to have maybe three hats on the table and that's it," Brown said.

Who knows if UT will be in the final mix? Brown will take his official visit to Knoxville on Jan. 30, giving the Vols the last face-to-face impression before Signing Day on Feb. 4.

Brown has never spoken poorly of UT, even as it changed coaches in 2008. He's even said he's been impressed with newly hired head coach Lane Kiffin.

However, Brown has never seemed like a typical in-state fan/prospect destined to sign with his in-state school. He has carried a more business-like approach to his recruitment.

As proof, he will take all five of his official visits and has never named a leader during the process.

The downside to that approach (for Brown especially) is he has kept coaches and media calling from several schools. He's growing weary of the attention.

"It's been fun and it's also been kind of tiresome," he said.

Brown represents one of UT's last chances to add an in-state trophy to their recruiting cabinet.

Greg King is also a possibility, but not rated nearly as high. The linebacker from Memphis Melrose is No. 10 on the News Sentinel list.

It's not often that there's such a clear-cut No. 1 prospect in Tennessee. Usually there is a debate. Not this year. By all accounts, Brown is the cream of the crop.

UT, on the other hand, hasn't stood out nearly as much this season.

The Vols have only three in-state commitments, led by Hillsboro cornerback Eric Gordon.

Under then-coach Phillip Fulmer, the Vols landed early commitments from receiver Zach Rogers from David Lipscomb and center Kevin Revis from Rhea County.

Under Fulmer, it was clear that the Vols were determined to make evaluations early and offer scholarships shortly thereafter when appropriate.

That worked for Rogers and Revis and seemed to work for Dominique Allen from Henry County High School in Paris. Allen committed to UT, which made the first scholarship offer, then changed his mind and committed to LSU.

LSU is one of a handful of schools that has had success recruiting in Tennessee in light of a tumultuous season at UT.

Georgia, Notre Dame and Florida each landed a top five prospect. Ole Miss landed three Tennessee prospects, two rated in the top 10 by the News Sentinel.

It's clear that Kiffin has his work cut out for him to build a recruiting fence around the state, as he said in his introductory press conference.

At that same public address, Kiffin mentioned he was soon to board a plane and visit with the top prospect in the state, Brown.

That gives a clear indication of what Kiffin thinks of Brown. And while Brown might not make or break UT's class, his commitment would clearly be a reason to be optimistic about Kiffin's recruiting tactics.

There's reason to think Kiffin can land Brown. First, he looks like the same kind of receiver that has excelled at Southern California under Kiffin.

Second, Kiffin has had success recruiting in Tennessee. He helped land receiver Patrick Turner from Goodpasture in Nashville.

Brown would represent more to UT's class than just a big-time receiver. He'd represent an elite prospect willing to jump on board with Kiffin even without any sort of on-field track record at UT.

Without Brown … well, UT fans don't want to think about it.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knoxnews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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