Brown hopes position change brings offers

Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson has one of the top linebacker duos in the country with USC commit Kent Turene and Texas A&M commit Shaun Ward. However, head coach Mark James surprises some people when he refers to another linebacker as the team's best defender.

Mike Brown is a bit undersized for the position at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but he was the Cobras' leading tackler a year ago. While he fits in well as a high school linebacker, Brown knows a position switch will likely happen once he arrives on a college campus.

"I think my size is hurting me a little bit right now in recruiting," Brown said. "I'm sort of the size of a college safety but I play linebacker. My plan is, when I go to college, to flip over to safety. I know that's where my future is.

"I've never really played safety before but I've been working on it this offseason to get better at it. A lot of schools want to see me play it a little bit at the beginning of the season and then they could offer me."

So far the transition seems to be going well, although Brown will still see plenty of time at linebacker this season as well.

"I'll be playing both linebacker and safety during the year," he said. "We're moving to a 3-4 so I'm fit well for linebacker here, but coach wants me at safety as well. I feel comfortable at safety. I've been in a lot of coverages before, so that's not really anything new. As far as my hips and my feet, I need to work on them a little bit more."

One school who saw him this spring decided to offer Brown already.

"I have one offer right now - from Utah State," he said. "They offered me awhile back. It was back during spring football. That's the only school to have officially offered me so far.

"It came as a surprise to me. I didn't even know I had it. Coach James told me I had the offer and I was really happy about it."

Brown is familiar with the program as a former teammate is already in Logan. He has also gotten to know his recruiter, Corey Raymond, very well.

"I talk to coach Raymond like every day or every other day," Brown said. He and I talk a lot. He's a good guy and I like him. I also know (wide receiver) Travis Reynolds up there. He's from here. I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet about it, though."

In addition to Utah State, Brown has seen interest from a few other programs as well.

"I've been hearing from Texas A&M," he said. "I've been trying to get in touch with them but we keep missing each other. I've been talking to the Chattanooga coach and the Marshall coach too."

While Utah State has offered, it is another team of Aggies that currently holds the lead for the athletic defender.

"I'm really waiting on Texas A&M," Brown said. "I want to be a part of that organization. I like what they do out there. Shaun and I talk all the time about the possibility of me being able to go there with him."