Carlos Brown
Running Back
Heard County HS
(Franklin, GA)
6-0/195/4.5
NR: ****
Position Rank: #24
Scout.com Player Video:
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His Recruiting Story
As one of the top running back prospects in the south, Carlos Brown was hearing
from almost every top program in the country. By the time his senior rolled
around he had received over 25 scholarship offers. In-state programs Georgia
and Georgia Tech did not seem to carry an advantage early on, but the Bulldogs
eventually caught his attention and made up a lot of ground.
"The recruiting class they are bringing in is deep," Brown told Scout.com
regarding Georgia in November. "They potentially have a lot of really good
players. I've been up there a lot and the atmosphere is real nice. It's a home
state thing. I can get up there more than I can get to some of the other schools."
Brown eventually narrowed his list of schools to Georgia, Florida State, Michigan,
and South Carolina. And would make his decision after visiting each of them.
His visit to Ann Arbor took place November 18th for the Ohio State game, and
though the Wolverines lost in a nail-biter, the trip was still a hit with Brown.
“It was off the meter, man,” Brown said of the visit. “I
liked everything about it. I came in and went to the hotel with the players
and coaches. Then I went and had a real nice dinner at Real Seafood. Awe man
… the game was off the meter! I know they lost, but they gave it their
all. On top of that, the crowd was great! It wasn’t even really that cold.
As a matter of fact, the weather won’t even be a factor.”
As impressed as Brown was with the Maize and Blue, the glow from the visit
had seemingly worn off by mid December. Michigan assistant Fred Jackson made
the trip South to the talented running back's school only to be informed by
the coach that the Wolverines had been eliminated from contention. That set
up what can be described as nothing other than a shocker. From seemingly out
of the blue, Brown dialed up the staff in Ann Arbor a few days before Christmas
and told them that he wanted to become a Wolverine.
"I had no idea what he was going to do," Brown's mom told GoBlueWolverine.com.
"I was just as shocked as anybody when he told me it was Michigan."He
has talked before about going away for school, but said he was going to stay
home. It's a long way for him to go but if that's what he wants to do, he needs
to do it."
“I didn’t really drop Michigan from my list,” Brown explained.
“I had filled out applications to a lot of schools, but I never really
dropped Michigan. When I called them up and told them I wanted to go there,
they were surprised. First I talked to Coach Loeffler, then Coach Carr, and
then Coach Jackson. Coach Loeffler was just amazed. Coach Carr said, ‘Back
in the day my vertical was 36-inches, but now it’s 24-inches ... and I’m
that high off the ground right now! I always wanted to live in the city, and
it’s in the city,. Plus I’ve got an aunt that lives not to far from
there. I really liked it up there and I wanted to do something different. I
wasn’t really worried about the reaction people would have. Everybody
that loves me was going to love me regardless.”
Brown has graduated high school in December and is already enrolled in Ann
Arbor. He will participate in spring drills.
GoBlueWolverine Commentary
Carlos Brown gives the Wolverines an element of speed that hasn't been available
at the running back position for quite some time. He's big enough to run through
arm tackles, but his major asset is his ability in space. Brown has all the
shake and bake you'd want in a running back, but also possesses the type of
breakaway speed that makes him a danger to take it to the house on any given
play.
"I think I have great vision and can see the field and know where to go,"
Brown said. "I'm a good runner and I'm really balanced. I like cutting
and making guys miss. I do it all. Of course, I'm still trying to improve everything.
I really want to accelerate better and get better at gaining yards after initial
contact."
He moved over the quarterback in his final season as a prep amassing 1512 yards
and 21 touchdowns rushing on 135 carries and 541 yards and seven touchdowns
passing. Some feel that may hinder him early on in college, but the fact that
he's an early enrollee should limit those concerns. He'll have plenty of time
to get re-acclimated to the position.
Scout.com Scouting Report: Carlos Brown has an excellent blend of size and
speed. He has good vision and the shake to make a guy miss in the open field.
He has the speed to break away once he has broken the initial point of contact,
and he has the power to run between the tackles.