Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Chris Brown Is The Class' Diamond In The Rough FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY WES MORGAN small. Then he put on 40 pounds by the end of his high school career. Finally, by his junior and senior seasons, the wide receiver was told he was overrated by chatty defensive backs. Brown loved hearing that. "I'm a guy that, if you C hris Brown always heard that he was too ever doubt me, it fuels my fire," said Brown, who brings his talents to Notre Dame in 2012 via Hanahan High in South Carolina. "The worst thing you can do to me is to tell me I can't do something. I'll make sure I prove you wrong." Defender s quickly learned Brown has a dark sense of humor. "I like to smile, but don't take it as I'm happy," he said. "When I'm smiling, you know you're beat right off the jump. I was usually lined up by our sideline. When I knew the play was coming to me, I'd just turn to my coach and smile. The cornerbacks knew what time it was." That same mean streak applied to blocking, even after Brown missed five games with a broken col- larbone. "I was nervous that Brown, who is ranked as the No. 26 athlete in the country by 247Sports, broke a 32-year-old state record in the triple jump with a leap of 51 feet, 2½ inches, which was the best mark by a junior in the country during the 2011 outdoor track season. PHOTO COURTESY HANAHAN HIGH SCHOOL WR CHRIS BROWN corded a 36-inch vertical jump … Bench presses 235 pounds … Won a 2011 team state title in track after capturing three individual championships in the triple jump, long jump and as part of the 4x100-meter relay team … Placed second at the state meet in the 200 meters … His leap of 51 feet, 2½ inches in the triple jump broke a 32-year-old South Carolina record and ranked as the top mark by a junior and the second-best prep measurement in the nation. Rankings: Graded as a three-star prospect, the No. 7 player in the state of 6-2 · 175 · Hanahan H.S. · Hanahan, S.C. Notable: Born on Dec. 8, 1993 … Runs a 4.44-second 40-yard dash … Re- South Carolina and the No. 26 athlete in the land by 247Sports … Rated as the seventh-best prospect in South Carolina and the No. 29 receiver in the country by SuperPrep … Tabbed as the No.11 prospect in South Carolina and the No. 81 wide receiver nationally by Rivals.com … Ranked as the No. 87 wideout in the country by Scout.com … Tabbed as the 66th-best receiver nationally by ESPNU … Listed by MaxPreps.com and Tom Lemming as the No. 21 wingback in the land. Statistics: Missed five games in 2011 with a broken collarbone, but still think he is. He's a legit four-star guy with good hands and good speed. He just needs to get a little stronger, which will come when he gets to the weight program." Recruitment: Verbally committed to Notre Dame Sept. 18 after officially watch him grow. Every year he kept improving. This year, he was just uncov- erable. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see it a whole bunch because he got hurt in the second game of the year, but you could see a touchdown coming when you threw the ball to Chris." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "He's better than what people caught 33 passes for 532 yards and 12 touchdowns in four contests, and re- turned two punts for scores … As a junior, had 52 receptions for 1,105 yards and 16 touchdowns. Honors: Named the South Carolina track and field 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year … Honored as the Low Country Athlete of the Year for his efforts in track and football … One of four receivers selected to the all-state team. All-Star Games And Camps: Was a member of the U.S. Junior National and I was a general manager after draft day, we could consider this young man the steal of the draft. We believe that he has a skill set that we do not have currently on this football team. He's got great explosiveness and good size at 6-2. He's a guy that can take the quick, short pass and turn it into a touchdown." Hanahan Receivers Coach Tom Gallus' Comments: "It has just been fun to www.BLUEANDGOLD.com Team that competed on the track against Puerto Rico in 2011. Brian Kelly's Comments: "If we were talking from an NFL standpoint, visiting for the Michigan State game Sept. 17 … Most contact was with special teams coordinator and defensive line coach Mike Elston … Received offers from Arkansas, Clemson, Illinois, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Favorite Part Of Notre Dame Visit: "Towards the end of the visit I was just thinking to myself that this could be a place I could go and shine. There were a lot of positives about it." Why He Chose Notre Dame: "It seems like every time I talk to them it when he came back he'd by shy of contact or he wasn't going to be able to block," Hanahan receiv- ers coach Tom Gallus said. "He was so dang hungry. I think when he came back he was called for four holding penalties in that first game. He was killing this poor kid and the ref- eree, I think, was throwing the corner a lot of pity." ✦ becomes more and more realistic to play right away. And they will let me do track, too. That helped. It kind of overwhelmed me when I was there. I love it." Scouting Report: Displays great footwork off the line with a quick burst and limited false steps … Shifty target, but also a threat in the deep game … Has the vision to make a play while reversing the field … Clearly has jumping abil- ity and goes after the football … Well-balanced target that can play different positions in the receiving package. 2012 Projection: Despite having a limited senior campaign (shoulder in- jury), he didn't show much of a drop-off with multiple star performances to close out the season … He's a sound prospect that was able to fly under the radar for most of the process, and he's a true steal from some of the other top programs that pursued him … It's difficult to count out any playmakers at this point, regardless of experience level, and Brown, who might also see time in 2012 as a punt returner, has the desire to compete right away. MARCH 2012 25