Marlon Brown, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound five-star wide receiver from Harding High School in Memphis, Tenn., played in the UnderArmour All-Star Game last Sunday and made quite an impression. He had four receptions for just under 100 yards and one touchdown. He’s a big, fast target who started the game off with a 71 yard touchdown reception from USC-bound QB Matt Barkley.
“It was a blast,” Brown said of his experience. “I loved it. The competition was nuts. It was so much fun being around some of the best players in the country.
“It was really cool being around all these guys,” he said.
So while Brown had a strong performance himself, with whom was he impressed? “Man, there were so many good players,” he said.
“Guys like Greg Reid (four-star cornerback from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga), Matt Barkley (five-star quarterback from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.), Manti Te’o (five-star linebacker from Punahou High School in Honolulu, Hi.), Morrell Pressley (five-star tight end from Carson High School in Calif, who is committed to UCLA) and Branden Smith (four-star cornerback from Washington High School in Atlanta, Ga., who is committed to Georgia) are some of the guys that really stood out.”
Brown, Scout.com’s No. 4 wide receiver, still favors Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio State while continuing to deny a leader.
“I want to make sure I find a place where I feel like the coaches and players really get along,” Brown said. “I want to have a good relationship with them and make sure I fit in with them.”
He has already taken official visits to Georgia on Sept. 26 and Ohio State on Oct. 11. Brown closes up with a trip to Florida on Jan. 24 and finally Tennessee on Jan. 31.
“My visit to Georgia was amazing,” he said. “I love the team and everything there is top-notch. Coach Mark Richt is real easy to talk to and said he really wants me at Georgia. I feel they really want me, plus I love Athens.”
But Brown says his trip to Ohio State was equally impressive. “I really like coach Jim Tressel,” he said. “He’s a great guy and I like his style. He’s a real good coach and commands a lot of respect. He has a good relationship with his players and they all seem to love playing for him.”
The one negative about the Buckeyes? “It’s cold,” he said.
Brown says he was also disappointed to see the Buckeyes lose to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. “I don’t even know how that happened,” he said of Ohio State’s last minute loss to the Longhorns. “I’m still in shock. That was a rough way to lose.”
Of course there’s one more game that Brown is excited for. “I can’t wait for the national championship,” he said. “Hopefully Florida will be able to pull it off. It should be really exciting. I think Florida scores like 45 points per game and their offense is amazing.”
He’s looking forward to his official visit to Gainesville. “I’m excited to go there and check everything out,” he said. “I’ve heard about their facilities and stadium and everything.
“I also really like all the coaches,” Brown said. “Coach Urban Meyer is laid-back and real down-to-earth.”
With only about of month of time to recruit him, Brown says Tennessee’s new coach Lane Kiffin is now recruiting him the hardest. “They call whenever they can and email all the time,” he said. “I’ve talked to coach Kiffin and he seems cool too. I was real surprised when coach Phillip Fulmer resigned, but coach Kiffin seems like he’ll be a good coach.
“I just need to take my visit to Tennessee and see what it’s like,” he said. “I want to see if coach Kiffin and I have a good bond.”
With over 35 total scholarship offers, one team that didn’t make Brown’s final cut was LSU. “They kind of just stopped calling me,” he said of the Tigers.
Brown says he will announce his decision during a press conference at his school on signing day.
He finished his senior season with 19 touchdowns for a 10-3 team.
Brown reports a 3.2 core GPA and a 21 ACT.