Commitment focus: Louis Brown

Burton (TX) athlete Louis Brown announced his commitment to the Longhorns on Monday following his visit to the Under The Lights camp in Austin this past weekend. Brown’s commitment raises the total number of 2015 pledges to twelve as the Horns look to build some positive momentum following the much talked about event. After committing to Baylor in March, Brown opened his recruitment up recently and jumped on an offer from Texas over competing offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Washington.

It’s unclear where Brown projects at the next level, but there might be a battle between offensive and defensive coaches for his services. Upon film review, Brown lines up at running back, tight end, wide receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker, and free safety. His massive frame (6’6 205 lbs) gives him the tools needed to transition into a multitude of positions at the next level. This commitment could be the first in a string of commitments following Friday’s camp where the Longhorns really made an impression to the nearly 100 recruits that attended the camp.

Film Analysis:

Great frame with lots of room to put on weight. In the passing game, Brown uses his body well to shield defenders and is a great hands-catcher. His height makes him a superior aerial threat in the red zone. He also uses his hands well to beat defenders and shows to be a solid route runner. Top end speed is average for his size. Brown shows good strength with the ball, but doesn’t profile to be much of a threat after the catch.

On defense, Brown’s length helps him occupy passing lanes and get his hands on passes. He has a decent burst off the edge when rushing but isn’t what I’d call quick twitch. His long limbs allow him to cover ground at a quicker rate than his peers at the high school level. Brown is a good tackler who stays low despite his height and doesn’t rely solely on his size to bring down the ball carrier. Brown looks like he could easily put on thirty or forty pounds to play with his hand in the dirt. His technique on defense is very raw and will need some definite refining if his ultimate position is on defense.

Final Verdict:

Whenever you have an opportunity to take an athlete of this size and then mold him into the position that best helps your team, you have to take advantage of it. Brown is probably going to be a two year project, but his size and athleticism are worth the extra time needed to turn him into a valuable contributor. At this point, it looks like he would either play defensive end or tight end, but we fans will need to wait and see how he develops once he reaches campus. Brown represents a roll of the dice that could reach his potential to be a dominant player, or never quite find a comfortable position. Regardless, this is a momentum-building commitment for Texas, and someone who could end up being a major difference maker down the line.