Midlands LB open to the west

There is no question that linebacker Arthur Brown (6-1, 225, 4.48) from Wichita (Kan.) East is one of the most sought after players in the midland's region if not the nation. While it is never easy to pull one of best players out of the midland's, Brown at this time has an open mind and has interest in four Pac 10 schools.

Brian Butler from the non-profit organization Potential Players is handling Brown's recruitment and others in the Wichita area. His organization mentors athletes on the field of play, in the classroom and spiritually.

"Arthur is a much disciplined and well rounded young man," Butler said. "He works just as hard in the classroom as he does on the football field. He's a Christ centered young man.

"Arthur brings everything a player can bring to the table," Butler said. "Speed, agility and plays with a passion I've never seen.

"Pete Carroll said the other day that he hasn't seen a linebacker like Arthur in his seven years at USC.

"Arthur is considering UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington on the west coast," Butler said. "He is very open minded regarding his college coach and he being diligent in his research.

"Arthur understands the importance of communication and he talks to his recruiting coaches on a weekly basis," Butler said. "He's very organized in his life."

Brown is in the process of trying to get to the Los Angeles area to take an unofficial, but if that doesn't work out Butler has another plan in mind.

"Arthur will be in L.A. before he ever signs an official letter-of-intent," Butler said. "If he can't get there unofficially, he will wait to take an official visit.

It is a given that a player of Brown's caliber would be interested in USC, but what about cross town rival UCLA?

"Yes, he does have interest in UCLA," Butler said. "Coach Chuck Bullough will be here today.

"Coach DeWayne Walker was here earlier and I had great time," Butler said. "He has a lot of character and I enjoyed my time with him.

"One of the nice things that I have been able to see through this process is there are a lot of good coaches on the D-I level who really care about kids who are going to be head coaches one day."

The west isn't the only area of the country that hopes Brown will call home for the next four years when the fall of 2008 rolls around.

Besides UCLA and USC; Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Michigan and Notre Dame are a just a sampling of the fine schools that have offered the talented linebacker from Wichita.

As a junior, Brown earned first-team all-state, first-team all-city, and first-team all-metro after accounting for 132 tackles and 12 sacks.

Brown also has good instincts defending the pass.

"Every time Arthur picks off a pass, he takes it back to the house," Butler said. "He had one last year and I think it was two the year before."

The scouting report on Brown is he's a great hitter with a nose for the football. He has an excellent motor and makes plays sideline-to-sideline.