Brown Likes the Local Schools

There's a common term in football recruiting called the 'eye ball test.' The eye ball test is simply when a player just looks like he can do some damage before you even see a second of him on film just by how physically impressive he looks. Now we've seen a ton of players who look like Tarzan but play like Jane, looking good doesn't always mean you can play. One player who really caught our eye recently and will put that theory to the test is Pomona (Calif.) Highland Ranch lineman Charles Brown.

Brown attended the recent Nike combine at L.A Harbor Junior College and was the most impressive looking player we saw that day. He measured in at a rock solid 6-6, 242 pounds and tested very well considering the conditions he was running on were probably the worst we have ever tested on.

Harbor's grass was very thick and looked as if it hadn't been mowed in months. Even worse, there were dirt spots and gopher holes all over and players ran in to swirling winds. To show what a difference the surface can make, several players attended both the combines we held last weekend at Harbor and East LA. (field turf) and there was a minimum .2ths of a second discrepancy in their 40 times.

Saying all that, Brown clocked a 5.31 in the 40 (likely a 5.1 minimum at East L.A), 4.78 in the shuttle, jumped 33 inches in the vertical (best by any linemen at any of the three combines) and did 14 reps on the bench.

"I thought I might do better but it was all right," Brown said. "This was just kind of a warm up for me for the Nike camp so I could see where I was at and see what I needed to work on."

Brown is a two time All-League selection on the offensive line and also starts at defensive end. He said he'll move to tight end for his senior season but we still feel his best college position is at left tackle where his size, long arms and athleticism make a very good looking prospect.

"I'll play wherever, I don't really have a preference right now," Brown said. "I'm still just waiting for my first offer to come in. USC and UCLA are the two main schools I'm looking at. I want to stay close to home, I'm a California kind of guy and I think there's enough plusses in both to not have to leave the area. With USC, they're on top and have a great coaching staff. With UCLA, I like their coaches too and Osaar (Rasshan) has been recruiting me like crazy to go and play with him there. I just want to play things out and see where the best fit for me is."