UVA commit DJ Brown gives the latest on his status & official visits

Virginia commit DJ Brown has been picking up offers left and right since he decided not to sign in the early signing period. The defensive back out of Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High has been committed to the Cavaliers since July but he is going to take his official visits to make sure he made the right decision.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

"Everything with Virginia is pretty strong," Brown said. "I talk to them about twice a week. It's a very strong relationship. We don't really talk about the schools that have offered but back in December when I told them I wasn't signing I told them that I wanted to take some visits and they were okay with that.

"I'm not 100-percent sure but I think I'm going to take an official visit to Clemson this weekend," he said. "I know they have a really strong program that in the top five or top ten every year. I really want to go down there and find out more. When the coach offered me he told me they are having a lot of players in the secondary that are leaving an they need some players. I want to find out more about the academic side there because I haven't heard too much about that yet. I also want to see the rest of the university, the facilities, and Death Valley. I just want to a general feel there.

"The only official visit that I have locked in right now is to Cal on January 19th," said Brown. "We've been having family conversations all the time because I've been in contact with them for a while now. Really it's been about building our relationship now. I want to hear more about the academic side, the coaching staff's vision and see how they are.

"One school I think I'm going to visit is Northwestern," he said. "They haven't offered me yet but we've been discussing it and I've been in contact with them for a while. I might also take an official visit to South Carolina.

"My relationship with the coaches at Northwestern is strong," Brown said. "I definitely want to learn more about the school and the area it's in. I also want to find out what the players and coaches are like. If I had decommitted back in November or December I think they probably would've offered then. They still want me to come visit.

"Coach T-Rob is a cool guy and a really good guy," he said. "I know he has a lot of defensive backs in the NFL. Coach Muschamp is a defensive-minded head coach, which is really appealing to me, especially because they have a lot of guys graduating. I worked out with Jalen Tabor when I was younger and always looked up to him. I know T-Rob coached him."

RIVALS' REACTION…

Virginia still has a strong hold on Brown even though he has a number of visits lined up. Education has always a major piece of criteria for Brown and it will be up to the coaches and staffs at Clemson, Cal, Northwestern, and South Carolina to show Brown and his family that they can provide a better combination of football and education than Virginia. At this point, the relationships Brown has at Virginia at better than at any other school but that could change through this final month of the recruiting cycle.