Class of 2014 prospect Tony Brown (Beaumont, Texas/Ozen) has made previous trips to both LSU and Alabama, but the ESPN Watch List cornerback called Saturday’s clash of SEC powers “one of the best games I’ve ever been to.”
Brown was one of the record 93,375 at Tiger Stadium to witness Alabama hold off LSU, 21-17. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound athlete has been offered by both LSU and Alabama -- and multiple other schools -- and he left Baton Rouge, La., with a positive image of both programs.
“It was great. Great atmosphere, great game, everything,” Brown said. “The stadium was rocking. The game came down to the wire. It held true to the hype of it being a good game.”
In addition to watching a big SEC game, Brown also had a chance to meet Spike Lee.
“He said he heard I was one of the best players in the Class of ’14,” Brown said of Lee.
Lee’s source is correct; Brown is one of the top cornerbacks -- arguably, the top cornerback to some -- in his class, and he takes pride in being super-versatile. At Ozen, he lines up at cornerback and safety, and he also spends time as a rover linebacker.
Brown, in addition to LSU and Alabama, has offers from Notre Dame, USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma, as well as in-state schools Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. He said Tiger Stadium had an atmosphere that he appreciated, and it also allowed him to fully analyze the defenses of the Tigers and the Crimson Tide.
“With Alabama, it starts with the head coach being my specific coach. That’d be good thing,” Brown said, referring to Nick Saban and his extensive background coaching in the secondary. “I was really impressed with their way to persevere.
“I was also impressed with how LSU made it a close game. I like how they’ve been able all season to still make plays without one of their best playmakers, Tyrann Mathieu. It shows how good of a program it is and that they still have one of the top defenses.”
Brown said his next trip will be Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday. He is expected to be in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Alabama-Texas A&M game.