Commitment breakdown: Rivals250 LB Naquan Brown chooses LSU
LSU landed a linebacker from Virginia in the 2020 cycle in Antoine Sampah and now the Tigers are back to get Naquan Brown. The linebacker out of Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes is the latest prospect to join Ed Orgeron’s 2021 recruiting class. Below, Rivals.com explores what Brown’s pledge means for the Tigers.
WATCH: Rivals250 LB Naquan Brown announces his decision
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
WHAT LSU IS GETTING:
Brown his a very athletic prospect that can be used in a number of ways to give offenses problems. From a physical perspective, Brown is about 6-foot-3 and hovers around 200-pounds so he’ll need to add significant mass to his frame before seeing consistent playing time. He has the speed and quickness to give offensive linemen fits if they don’t connect with their initial punch. Brown has the hand techniques to beat offensive linemen inside or outside and uses his speed and balance to his advantage. He isn’t the most comfortable defender standing up and playing in space but that is something the LSU coaches will work with him to develop.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE TIGERS:
LSU just lost linebacker Marcel Brooks to transfer and Brown should help lessen the sting of that loss. Brown is the third linebacker commit for the Tigers in this recruiting class and brings a different skillset so it should help LSU round out their linebacker corps. Ed Orgeron and his staff continue to recruit on a national level and this will mark the second year in a row that they’ve landed a linebacker from the East Coast. The Tigers have obviously increased their presence in this region but that investment hasn’t always panned out. LSU held commitments from five-star receiver Rakim Jarrett and four-star Demon Clowney in the 2020 recruiting cycle but neither ended up signing with the Tigers. LSU is also pushing for a few other highly-rated East Coast prospects in this class like five-star Caleb Williams, top 30 defensive end Monkell Goodwine, top 30 offensive tackle Tristan Leigh, top 100 linebacker Greg Penn, and others.