Missouri DE ready for his officials

St. Louis (Mo.) Vashon defensive end Jerry Brown has been wanting to stay focused on the season, but after deciding to take other trips after committing to Illinois, that seemed pretty tough to do.

However, the 6-foot-4, 262-pound Brown scheduled all of his official visits in the last couple of months and can still keep his eye on the football season while handling recruiting trips on the weekend. He just set up his trip with Michigan State for Nov. 19 and now has all five of his slots filled.

"I mean, basically, with Michigan State I was going off of their record," Brown said. "They've been beating teams and even though they lost some tough games, it was only by a couple of points. I was supposed to go there for an unofficial visit, but I couldn't."

"This is my chance."

Brown says the other schools, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, were all schools that he was looking at throughout the recruiting process before committing. Now, the No. 9 rated player in Missouri is ready to get down to business.

"I've been to Missouri several times and I always have a good time there," Brown said. "Oklahoma and Nebraska are two I'm expecting good visits from as well. I want to see those two teams in actions and I want to see the facilities, the coaches, and a chance just to see what college life would be like at both places."

Illinois has not stopped trying to sway Brown away from taking more visits.

"Basically, they tell me not to look around but I've talked to coach Reggie Mitchell and I told him I'm committed, but have to check out everything," he said. "That way I can make the best decision. There is a chance I might go elsewhere and they need to know that."