Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
4 8 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W ide receiver Davion Brown was in State College on April 24, the first night of the NFL Draft. He and Penn State's coaches watched the event, in which a pair of Nittany Lions — defensive end Abdul Carter and tight end Tyler Warren — were selected among the first 14 picks. Penn State was already high on Brown's list, and his visit to State Col- lege in the final days of spring practice reinforced the Lions' position. On May 12, the three-star 2026 prospect from the Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Va., made it official, announcing his in- tention to sign with PSU. "I've been feeling like Penn State is home for a minute now. I knew where I wanted to play," he said. "Penn State was just that place that I wanted to be. When I went down there, I really bonded with the coaches more. I went there, and we went out and watched the draft that night, had a good time. It was fun just talking ball with them. I also felt like I really saw how much I fit in that system when I left that visit, too." Listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Brown totaled more than two dozen scholarship offers and visited 10 schools, including recent trips to Duke, Georgia, Michigan and Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils and Bulldogs were planning to host Brown for official visits in June, but those trips won't take place now that Brown has ended his recruitment. After returning from his two-day un- official visit to PSU, Brown spent a week mulling his options. On May 6, wide receivers coach Marques Hagans and regional recruiter Anthony Poindexter stopped by Trinity Episcopal to meet with Brown. Their conversation proved influential in his decision to call off his upcoming official visits and commit to the school that already held a substantial lead. "I knew that I wanted to commit there, but I didn't know if I was ready to do it yet," Brown said. "But then they came down to the school, and we had a real good talk. I felt really good about it after that. Plus, they've been showing me so much love for so long. They offered me my freshman year, and really ever since then, no one's been as consistent with me." Brown had picked up an offer from Georgia on Jan. 12 and traveled to Athens a week later to check out the Bulldogs in person. That trip led to a second visit in March, which in turn gave rise to specu- lation that Kirby Smart and his staff were emerging as the leaders. Brown admit- ted that Georgia was a close second, but in the end, he decided Penn State was a better fit. "A little bit of everything played into it," he said. "The system is important, but it's also a culture that I know I'll be comfortable in for four years. I know I'll enjoy my four years. That's probably the main thing. I wanted a community that supports me." As a junior at Trinity Episcopal, Brown caught 42 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning All-Metro honors from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He caught 34 passes for 578 yards and 5 scores as a sophomore, while also amassing 401 yards and 3 touchdowns on 33 carries despite missing four games with an injury. Although Brown received a three-star grade from On3's scouts, he is a four- star prospect in the On3 Industry Rank- ing, which is a weighted average of the grades from the four major recruiting websites. He's listed there as the No. 226 overall prospect and No. 35 wide receiver nationally, as well as the No. 7 player in Virginia. On3 ranks him No. 65 among wideouts and No. 11 in his home state. ■ Visit Seals Virginia Receiver's Commitment To PSU RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Brown totaled 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver the past two seasons at Trinity Episcopal in Richmond. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 COMMITMENT PROFILE DAVION BROWN Davion Brown is listed at 6-1, 200 pounds. He's a thicker receiver in the mold of 2025 signee Matt Outten, another Virginia player. He's really good at gaining yards after the catch. His quarterback wasn't always effec- tive at getting the ball to him, so there are quite a few contested catches on his tape as a junior. You like seeing the ball skills. He often had to slow up, go back and make the play, and he did a pretty good job with that. Brown is a little more diverse in his route selection than a guy like Outten. He does some great things in the short-to-intermedi- ate passing game, and he finds running lanes really well. I like his running ability a lot. It's not that he's a running back, but he's able to find green space and accelerate. Penn State has lacked guys like that in its receivers room the past few years, and Brown fits that mold. — Sean Fitz P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N