Four-star OL takes first official

Four-star Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake offensive lineman Michael Brown made his first official visit this past weekend.

“I went up to Kentucky to check things out,” he said. “It was tight. I liked it up there.”

Anything in particular stand out?

“They played Florida when I was there,” Brown said. “It was a really great crowd. They were loud and really got behind their team. You could see their players getting hyped on it. That’s the kind of atmosphere I want to play in.

“Florida wound up winning the game, but I thought Kentucky played better. Their quarterback just made a mistake at the end that hurt them. I was surprised by how good they looked. They played real hard, and I liked their players’ attitudes.”

Brown (6-5, 270, 4.9) is rated the Peach State’s No. 9 player in the Class of 2004 and is the No. 10 guard in the nation. He also has offers from Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Florida, Louisville, Michigan and Virginia, among others.

He made an unofficial visit to Georgia on Sept. 13 for the South Carolina game and took a trip to Baton Rouge on Sept. 20 to see LSU and Georgia. The Tigers and Bulldogs have been considered his co-leaders since late this summer.

Asked how the Kentucky trip rated compared to what he saw at LSU and Georgia, Brown said: “It was up there with both of them. I liked the city up there. It’s small compared to here in Atlanta, but it’s real nice. There’s a lot of stuff to do around their campus. I had two or three really nice looking girls take me around, so that was nice, too. (Laughs)

“Big Cat (Sylvester Miller) and Mike Williams were my hosts. They were cool guys. I liked how their players were laid back and cool. They treated us real nice.”

Brown attended the game with fellow Westlake offensive lineman, Courtney Abbott (6-9, 335. 5.35), and linebacker Alfred Williams (6-3, 245, 4.63). Kentucky has offered all three players, and may be taking a close look at another Westlake star.

“They may be offering four of us,” Brown said. “They’re coming down this week to see our game against Washington. Their coach said they might offer Emmanuel Spann, too. Nobody else has offered all four of us together. If they did that, it might get me and big Shaq (Abbott) to turn their way.”

Spann (5-11, 170, 4.5) is a wide receiver/defensive back who has offers from Louisville, Marshall and Middle Tennessee State.

Brown said he hasn’t set any of his other visits yet.

Academically, he maintains a 2.7 GPA and has scored an 810 on the SAT.