Four-star Alabama DL eyes five

Four-star Madison (Ala.) Bob Jones defensive lineman David Brown admits he’s got a problem with rejection.

But not his own, mind you.

“This is such a hard thing to do,” said the nation’s sixth-rated strongside defensive end. “Getting my list down to five schools was hard enough. I have no idea when the time comes to call the other coaches and tell them I’m going somewhere else, how I’m going to do that. I like them all so much.

“I was talking about it with my parents today, and I really couldn’t rank them at this point. It’s a really hard decision.”

Brown (6-3, 255, 4.8) said he’s got a current top five of Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Georgia and Vanderbilt. Each of those schools are in line for an official visit. He made the trip to South Bend last weekend (11/14). In December, he plans to be at Alabama (12/5) and Georgia Tech (12/12), which January should see visits to Georgia (1/9) and Vanderbilt (1/16).

“It was pretty hard just getting down to those five because I really liked LSU and Tennessee a lot,” Brown said. “But Vanderbilt has been really impressive to me. I’ve grown to like their coaches and players and the school in general a whole lot.”

Asked how he rated his visit with the Fighting Irish, Brown gave it high marks: “It was just a great trip. The atmosphere and tradition there were very impressive, just like you always hear. I got to talk to coach Willingham three different times one-on-one throughout the weekend. That was neat.

“I also enjoyed going to their pep rally. That was kind of unique, something I’ve never seen anywhere else. Between that and the intramural championships they have between the dorms… it was just a real sense of togetherness there.”

Alabama could still be considered the leader due to the proximity factor and the Crimson Tide’s ability to maintain a good link with Brown through the coaching controversy that saw Dennis Franchione leave for Texas A&M, the dismissal of Mike Price in May and the hiring of Mike Shula shortly afterward.

“I still like Alabama a lot because they were the first ones to offer me, and that’s really stayed in my mind,” he said. “I’ve really felt at home with their coaches, the assistant coaches who stayed through all of that. I always liked them. And I’ve liked them even more since they brought in coach Shula. He seems like a great guy to play for.

“I just want to take the rest of my visits and be absolutely sure before I make my final decision. But it would be hard to mess up with these schools.”

Brown also plans to make an unofficial visit to Georgia Tech on Nov. 29 for the rivalry game against Georgia.

Academically, he carries a 3.7 GPA and has scored a 23 on the ACT, making him one of the more attractive all-around prospects in the class.