Brown sets top 8, talks Clemson
At 6-foot-9 and 340 pounds, Suwannee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge offensive lineman Orlando Brown has coaches around the country very intrigued about his potential at the next level. With and impressive offer list and a recently named top eight of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and South Carolina, Brown figures to end up a big-time program.
His main goal now is making sure he's prepared. This past offseason Brown shed 35 pounds and he said he noticed a big change on the field.
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"I feel like I did great this year," Brown said. "I worked during the offseason to come and show out as a junior and I feel like that's what I did. Bering in my region I play a lot of top talent so I have to be prepared."
Brown's goal for this season is to get down to 325, which he believes will help him deal with faster defensive ends.
"In football it's not all about size," he said. "It's about being able to move and have better leverage and that's why I want to drop down so I can move better."
Brown said the reason he decided to announce a top eight is so he knows which teams he's focused on heading into the offseason. He did provide a small disclaimer, however.
"We have the camps coming up and I just wanted everyone to know who I'm considering," he said. "It's not like it can't change and I'm sure other teams will try hard to stay in it."
One team that didn't make the cut that impressed Brown during an unofficial visit this fall was Clemson.
"Clemson stood out the most to be honestly," he said. "That visit was very exciting. Even though they're not in my top 8 they're right there on the bubble."
Brown said he's looking for a "college town" type atmosphere and he wants to find a place where he'd be happy to live, regardless of football.
"When I go I'm always looking at academics and the coaching staff," he said. "If the players are happy and it's a good college town that's a good sign. I want a place that if football wasn't in the picture I'd still like to live there and go there for college."
Brown is setting his offseason schedule and figures to being doing plenty of traveling, starting with to a trip to Florida for the Under Armour Combine.
"I'm going to the Under Armour combine first and that's all I know for sure right now," he said. "I'll probably do a couple camps, maybe Oklahoma and Texas, but I'm not 100 percent sure. We'll see how it all works out."