No. 1 High School Football Recruit Bryce Brown Sets Date

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Bryce Brown has been called a lot of things over the past four years.

Superstar. Freak. The best.
But over the past week, many of those positive comments have turned negative after Brown, Rivals.com's No. 1 player in the nation, held off choosing a school on National Signing Day. He will make his decision known March 12.
Brown, a running back from Wichita (Kan.) East, suddenly was being called a prima donna on TV, in newspapers and on radio shows from coast to coast. A Feb. 3 article in The New York Times quoted his high school coach, Brian Byers, as saying Brown was "always about him and then everybody else."
Brown is used to having people break down his game, but criticism of his character, motives and effort have been tough to swallow.
"It's not even really about building the hype," Brown told Rivals.com. "I've been doing this football thing for a while now. My freshman year, I jumped on the scene, and ever since then, I think the hype has always been there. Hype has nothing to do with [delaying the decision]. It's obviously a big decision, and it's an important decision not just for me but for my family as well.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>Bryce Brown says he will announce his final college choice on March 12.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- End Image-->"I want to find a program that's going to be committed to me for life and not just the three or four years that you are there. You want to be connected with good people because these are people you're going to be associated with after you graduate. These will be your real friends when you graduate. You want to be around great people."
Brown knows there will be second-guessing about his college intentions, but he said he is troubled by the talk that he wasn't supportive of his high school program. Byers told the Times that Brown wouldn't even stretch with his teammates in his junior season and that team chemistry was nonexistent because Brown would not play hard after he padded his stats.
Brown disagreed with Byers, who did not respond to a message left by Rivals.com at the high school.
"Absolutely, I'm a team player," Brown said. "When Coach Byers brought in a spread offense, I really didn't agree with it but I did everything Coach Byers asked me to do. It was the best for our team, obviously.
"There was never a time that I didn't want to be out on the field. I don't care if we were blowing them out 60-0, I wanted to be on the field, having fun and being with my teammates. It's my senior year, and a lot of the guys that I played with this year have been with me since my freshman year. My brother's class and the '09 class is what really started off East being a special program."
Brown, who graduated at midterm, wanted it made clear he has no issues with Byers and that he enjoyed his time at East.
"I don't have a problem with Coach Byers," Brown said. "If that's really how he felt, it took him two years to say it. That's his deal. I don't go to East anymore and I don't have any hard feelings, but some of the stuff he said really surprised me because it was absolutely false.
"I loved every second I was there with my friends and teammates, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
The next step for Brown is to finally figure out is college choice. <!--START SIDE-->
Brown breaks it down
Bryce Brown, the nation's top prospect, talked about each of the schools he is still considering on Tuesday:

"At night when I go to sleep, I try to imagine myself at each school. When I think about Oregon, I go to sleep and I feel like that's the place for me." – Brown on the Ducks
"Some of the stuff he was talking about – putting me out in space, and allowing me to get matched up with linebackers and cornerbacks one-on-one – sounds good, but inside something just tells me that his philosophy or the way he does things isn't what I really like." – Brown on meeting Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple

" … I don't think that Tennessee has enough players to be successful at what they're trying to do." – Brown on the Vols
"Obviously, being in L.A., that's strong from marketing." – Brown on USC

"I don't want for someone to throw the program on me. What if it turns out that I'm not, you know, the guy? Then people are going to point the finger at me." – Brown on Kansas State

<!--END SIDE-->Brian Butler, Brown's mentor and advisor, hinted in the Times' article that Brown might consider bolting for the CFL instead of playing college ball. It's a statement he later retracted, and Brown said he and his family never have given the CFL a serious thought.

"My parents don't even know what the CFL is," he said. "I love school. Education is important to me. It's something me and my brother both strive to be excellent at. I'm an honor-roll student with a 3.816 GPA. I just enjoy the school atmosphere and being around people."
Brown remains committed to Miami, but he said over the past few weeks that Oregon – thanks mainly to the efforts of coach-in-waiting <A href="http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewcoach.asp?Coach=1972">Chip Kelly – has become a serious candidate. Clemson, Kansas State, LSU, USC and Tennessee, which he will visit this weekend, also are options.
"Oregon is just a place I see myself at," Brown said. "At night when I go to sleep, I try to imagine myself at each school. When I think about Oregon, I go to sleep and I feel like that's the place for me. But I know I'm not in tune with my spirit, and my spirit is heavily involved in this. I'm praying, and I have people praying for me.
"I really like Coach Kelly, and he wants the best for me. It's not even really about football anymore. If I don't choose to go to Oregon, Coach Kelly and I are still going to have the relationship. Anything I need, any questions I have, I know that I can call him. He truly and genuinely wants the best for me."
Brown still insists he's committed to Miami, though there's a chance he might not take an official visit to Coral Gables.
"It's not completely out that I don't use that visit to Miami, but I don't see me using that visit there now," said Brown, whose brother, Arthur, was a freshman linebacker at UM this past season. "I wouldn't necessarily say they're out because I've seen it. I know everything about the program and I've gotten a chance to meet the offensive coordinator [Mark Whipple, who was hired late last month]. That will all be weighing in on my decision."
Brown said he met with Whipple face to face before the dead period started.
"We basically talked Xs and Os," Brown said. "It's kind of hard for me to say what the offense is going to be like. Some of the stuff he was talking about – putting me out in space, and allowing me to get matched up with linebackers and cornerbacks one-on-one – sounds good, but inside something just tells me that his philosophy or the way he does things isn't what I really like. He did say he'd use all of my talents, though."
Tennessee has made up a lot of ground on Brown's list, coming into the picture following the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but he said he's not sure what to think about the Vols quite yet.
"I talked with Coach Lane Kiffin, and coach Jim Chaney [the offensive coordinator] came down to visit me," he said. "They talked about the old USC stuff when Coach Kiffin had Reggie [Bush] and LenDale White. I want to be around good players, and I want to have the most players and best athletes on the field as my teammates because it makes it hard for the defense to stop the offense. With Tennessee, they want to get to that, but I don't think that Tennessee has enough players to be successful at what they're trying to do."
If Miami doesn't get the final visit, LSU or USC will.
"I really like USC," Brown said. "I really like coach Pete Carroll. He's a real, real laid-back coach. For somebody to get that much attention, he's really, really cool. They like to compete. I like being around great players. I want to be able to compete every day in practice knowing that everybody around me is willing to work. Obviously, being in L.A., that's strong from marketing.
"I don't really know much about LSU other than what my brother said when he went down there last year. LSU came in second to Miami on my brother's list of colleges, and it was really, really hard for him to turn down. I don't know much about it other than the things he told me about the game-day atmosphere."
Brown said Clemson and Kansas State remain viable options. While Brown visited Missouri, the Tigers are out of the picture.
Brown said there is pressure on him to stay in-state and play for Kansas State.
"I like coach Bill Snyder, and I like the coaching staff they put together," Brown said. "I feel like they're building a foundation, and the people around them and the fans believe Coach Snyder is going to turn that program around. But me, I don't want for someone to throw the program on me. What if it turns out that I'm not, you know, the guy? Then people are going to point the finger at me."
People already have been, though, and that's what has turned Brown's recruitment into a soap opera. "I can't wait to get the visits done, and then it will be time," he said. "I'm ready to put all of this negative stuff behind me and let people start saying positive things again."
 

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Wow, imagine being 18 years old and having the world lick your balls. Hmmmm....
 

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His "Agent" is a piece of shit. Selling website memberships to the Bryce Brown Web-site.
 

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His "Agent" is a piece of shit. Selling website memberships to the Bryce Brown Web-site.

And if he pays the kid a nickel for using his name or photos it's an NCAA violation. How the f*ck does anyone get away with that?
 

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His "Agent" is a piece of shit. Selling website memberships to the Bryce Brown Web-site.


That "agent" that you are referring to has been EXTREMELY successful as of late, and can be credited to almost all of the talent out of the ICT area.
 

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Bryce's Top Two

He is going to Oregon or Miami. I am a big Ducks fan and actually think we are in his top two. Between his interview where he says that he "feels at home in Oregon," the fact that he is in love with Chip Kelley, he would be given top reins once Blount is gone, and that one of his best buddies from high school (Chris Harper) is on the roster.
With that being said, Miami makes sense as he is a verbal there and that his brother is there already. Bryce has said that he has always been on a team with his brother through out his life.

:cripwalk:
 

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www.potentialplayers.com

as a huge vol fan i must say brown is going to Oregon...


i hope not..i can take it if he goes to Miami with his brother, but if he chooses to be a duck ? wtf, he wont sell football shoes anyway with nike, plus they lost some OL, and they get little to no national pub

whoever gets him, he starts from day 1 ...i guess he could put up heftier stats vs pac-10 defenses, i could see some 200 yd games this fall...blah
 

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i hope not..i can take it if he goes to Miami with his brother, but if he chooses to be a duck ? wtf, he wont sell football shoes anyway with nike, plus they lost some OL, and they get little to no national pub

whoever gets him, he starts from day 1 ...i guess he could put up heftier stats vs pac-10 defenses, i could see some 200 yd games this fall...blah

You must not have followed this recruiting saga. He has explained many times why Oregon appeals to him and it has nothing to do with national exposure.

And BTW Oregon loses some lineman but I can virtually gaurantee that their offensive output will far exceed any of the other teams that Brown is considering. He knows it. That said I have found that in the end family situations like these rarely go the other way.
 

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i hope not..i can take it if he goes to Miami with his brother, but if he chooses to be a duck ? wtf, he wont sell football shoes anyway with nike, plus they lost some OL, and they get little to no national pub

whoever gets him, he starts from day 1 ...i guess he could put up heftier stats vs pac-10 defenses, i could see some 200 yd games this fall...blah

Chris, you must be slipping. That's some very stale news about Pac-10 defenses. Last year Pac-10 defenses outplayed people's expectations on nearly every team, from the top right on down to Udub with virtually no offense. Cal, Oregon St., UCLA, Oregon and even ASU did better defensively than anyone expected. Of course USC's defense led the way but the rest were pretty good. It was obvious how good they were in the bowl games.

But then again, who anywhere east of the Rockies follows anything but general opinions about Pac-10 football and it could take years before anyone gets caught up and realizes that things are not as people believe them to be. Old ideas take a long time to die. But people that keep current and ignore those generic public impressions are the guys that make money at this. So in a way I can say that I do appreciate your opinions.
 

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Bryce Brown Update

gse_multipart30441_tiny.jpg
by Richard Pittman on Feb 26, 2009 6:30 AM



Bryce Brown is coming to LSU for his visit this weekend, which also happens to be the second Junior Day for LSU, where we expect to pick up a couple commitments for the 2010 class. Things have gotten interesting on the Bryce Brown, but for those of you just learning about this, let's recap.
Point 1: Bryce Brown is a tremendous running back prospect, maybe the best skill player in the country for the 2009 class. He is, as yet, unsigned.
Point 2: Bryce Brown has been committed to the U of Miami for quite a while, where his brother is also on the football team, but his brother may also been disenchanted with the U.
Point 3: Bryce has decided to think about things for a while, and has taken visits to Tennessee and soon to LSU as well. He is also reportedly considering Oregon.
Point 4: He has a shadowy "mentor" that no one quite knows what to make of.
The latest rumor is that Miami has gotten fed up with him and his "mentor" and is on the verge of telling him to get lost. Not everyone is convinced this is true, but if it really is true then this could be outstanding news for LSU. Most people have believed that Brown was not very serious about looking around and would eventually end up at the U of Miami after getting everyone's hopes up. Now, if that's the plan, he may have to mend some fences first.
Or maybe it was never the plan.
In any event, even if Miami is out of the picture for Bryce Brown, that does not mean he's going to LSU. Most of the people who think they know what's going on believe that Tennessee is not a serious player at this point, and that if Miami is out then he's really down to Oregon and LSU.
When was the last time LSU and Oregon went head-to-head for a recruit? I wondered this earlier today, and then realized it wasn't really that long ago. In the 2007 class, quarterback Darron Thomas de-committed from LSU and signed with Oregon, apparently because LSU kept recruiting other QBs after Thomas committed. LSU ended up with Jordan Jefferson, and Thomas played a fair bit as a true freshman at Oregon. I think both LSU and Darron Thomas are happy with how it played out.
Don't assume that Oregon is a smokescreen. Brown probably wants to go somewhere where he believes he can contribute quickly, and Oregon is losing its leading rusher (Jeremiah Johnson). They return a couple of key backups, and there's certainly no guarantee that Brown would be able to step right in, but losing their main guy makes them look attractive. LSU has a big opening for running back, but really only if Brown is willing to understudy for a year, as Charles Scott is going to be the key guy this year and Keiland Williams is probably going to be the #2.
LSU is a great place for a running back to go if he's willing to be a little patient, but not a great place to go if he's dead set on playing a lot immediately. Of course, there is no major program in the country that will hand a job to a true freshman and not make him earn it.
Let's keep in mind point #5 too: Even a prospect the calibre of Bryce Brown is no guarantee to have success at the college level. The road to the NFL is littered with the rotting carcasses of the careers of 5-star running backs who didn't live up to expectations.
Let us also keep in mind point #6: Michael Ford is a darn good running back prospect who will take a back seat to no one. Not even Bryce Brown. Brown is more polished right now, but Ford is an outstanding talent too, and comes with no red flags about character and no baggage.
As for Brown, he'd be a great addition to this team, and would probably greatly improve the 2010 and 2011 LSU teams. He's probably also the kind of guy who would leave after 3 years if he even remotely lived up to expectations. The news lately has been encouraging, but no one is saying that he's leaning to us yet. There's reason to be hopeful, though.
 

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i hadnt seen that one yet

its funny though...

every fanbase has a different set of leaders for this guy

i even heard one rumor that he signed with TN already on his visit and thats why USC and Miami pulled out. Kiffin told Carrol and Bryce told his brother, though now it appears Miami didnt back out after all...


if i HAD to bet on it id still say Miami

im just glad Jake Heaps will make his decision this summer

right now id take David Oku and Nick Montana and be happy
 

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i hadnt seen that one yet

its funny though...

every fanbase has a different set of leaders for this guy

i even heard one rumor that he signed with TN already on his visit and thats why USC and Miami pulled out. Kiffin told Carrol and Bryce told his brother, though now it appears Miami didnt back out after all...


if i HAD to bet on it id still say Miami

im just glad Jake Heaps will make his decision this summer

right now id take David Oku and Nick Montana and be happy

It is a real mystery. I agree that Miami was and is the team to beat. An insider on the Miami board is saying Oregon now but who really knows, the fact that they are taking an unnoffical to Miami speaks volumes I think.

As for Oku his recruiting saga is bar none the most outrageous I have heard in some time. Good luck with that.
 

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Looks like as of now Miami may really be out of it. They did not make that trip.

Countdown for Bryce Brown

Posted on: March 9, 2009 4:39 pm
Edited on: March 9, 2009 4:48 pm

Score: 144

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They are fasting by now, drinking only liquids.
The strategy worked last year when Arthur Brown Jr., his father, brother and advisor Brian Butler fasted for a week before the highly-touted linebacker made his college decision. The story goes that the entire group was hit with a revelation that Arthur, a Wichita, Kan. prospect, should attend Miami.
The group is trying to enter the same physical and mental state as Brown's younger brother Bryce is less than a week away from making his college decision. Bryce's long anticipated announcement will come at a Monday press conference at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita.
Yes, it will probably be overdone. Yes, it will probably be faux dramatic. (Please, Bryce don't play us with the "hat tease".) But we still can't stay away. No doubt there will be media there from all over the region and around the country. At least four schools -- Tennessee, Oregon, LSU and Kansas State -- will be hanging onto the kid's every word. It will be a recruiting website's wet dream.
But the story of Bryce's recruitment might not come to a flashy climax on Monday. Butler, the celebrated mentor, is under investigation by the NCAA. The association's assistant director of amateurism certification has been to Wichita to question a high school player who formerly trained under Butler.
Read between the lines and it seems the NCAA is trying to see if Butler has compromised the amateur status of any of the high school players he has trained. That, or it might decide Butler should be disassociated from certain athletes. Fourteen months ago Butler quit his job at a T-Mobile call center to pursue training prospects full time.
Butler, 33, usually charges to train athletes $75 a month for one day a week and up to $200 a month for three days a week. On the surface, it's hard to see how Butler could be making a killing.
"Trust me, I can take you to my house right now and show you a stack of bills and show you my bank account," Butler told me in late January. "I wonder how they're going to get paid."

One question seems to be whether Bryce Brown, or any other player, was given a price break. That could constitute an extra benefit in the NCAA's eyes. Two specific NCAA bylaws come into play here:
• 12.1.2.1.6 has to do with "preferential treatment" given to a prospect based on his "reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete."
• 13.02.13, defines a "representative of athletics interests"
In Butler's case, 13.02.13 would mean he would be steering kids to a certain school. Butler said that the most former players he has at a single school is two at both Kansas and Kansas State. That hardly constitutes a pattern especially since former K-State coach Ron Prince had been critical of Butler.
Butler says that if Prince were still at the school Bryce probably wouldn't be considering the Wildcats. With new/old coach Bill Snyder back in charge, K-State is one of Bryce's finalists.
However, one person with knowledge of the NCAA process told me, "You can turn a ham sandwich into a representative (of athletics interests) if you want to."
"Mr. Brown (Bryce's father Arthur Sr.) pays me more than most people," Butler told me when informed of the "preferential treatment" bylaw.
"My goal," Butler added, "is to be a millionaire before they (players) are."
On the up and up, of course.
At one time the NCAA had in place a "big brother/big sister" program in which investigators would take a region of the country and speak to the top three to five prospects in that area. I'm not sure if that program is still in place but Butler did tell me that the NCAA plans on talking to the nation's No. 1 recruit.
A best guess is that Bryce has narrowed his choices to Oregon and Tennessee. Based on conversations I've had, the kid is very interested in how he will be promoted. Oregon has at its disposal the Nike marketing machine. That's not to say the kid would be hidden playing in the SEC at Tennessee (on CBS).
Oregon can further sell the nation's No. 2 rushing offense and a somewhat stable quarterback situation. Tennessee can sell the charismatic Lane Kiffin, his superstar staff and a program about to take off .
Stay tuned, the circus is about to end with Monday's announcement. Or, with the NCAA sniffing around, it might just be beginning.
 

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HA!!!

I get a kick out of the way it's coming down to a choice between UT and UO. The irony of it all! I wouldn't go so far as to say the kid isn't worth pursuing, but I don't think either program will suffer much if either one or both lose out.

How are the Oregon hospitality girls doing? Kelsey was hot. Who's taken her place or is she still around? (And if so, who's number has she been seen wearing lately?)
 

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This kids parents appear to be dumber than dirt.

Brown is going to face a situation where he is viewed as an ass hole by everyone. May or may not be true, but he has to prove otherwise.
 

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I honestly have no clue where the kid ends up but you are right that his handlers and parents have completely botched this entire process.

It is hard to say how much influence the parents have in this decision. But, if he doesn't go to Miami, and that looks pretty conclusive my guess is that Tennessee's proximity to his brother may be an important factor for the parents. Oregon and Miami couldn't be much farther apart.

Brown was at Eugene during a gameday in which it rained like a sucker. That was a bummer but he came away saying great things. As for the hostess, who knows. Maybe one of these two:

YP_Amanda-Oregon-037_842.jpg
 

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Bryce Brown is going back to Knoxville this weekend, and this time taking his parents.

He plans to sign somewhere Monday.

I guess im a homer if i read too much into this, so ill put it out there and let you guys decide what this means..

Lets see...rumors for two weeks he had privately commited to the Vols, now he is going back to UT for the last weekend before its official WITH his parents to meet with the nations most respected staff of recruiters for the last 72 hrs before he plans to sign.....


Lane Kiffin ----> :cripwalk:
 

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