Arthur Brown of East High School in Wichita, KS has decided to play his college football at the University of Miami. Come February, Brown will sign his letter of intent and is headed to Coral Gables to join a long line of superstars at the new Linebacker U.
Miami’s play at linebacker has dropped off immensely since Jon Vilma and D.J. Williams took their skills to the NFL in 2004. The Canes have had some misses with supposed “can’t miss” guys like Willie Williams and James Bryant as well as losing a guy like Ali Highsmith to LSU due to poor grades or a Nate Harris to Louisville after an attempted armed robbery.
The linebacker position at Miami almost seemed cursed this year, losing starters Romeo Davis and Glenn Cook for the year. Darryl Sharpton was banged up most of the season, though Colin McCarthy is a star in the making and will benefit from the infusion of new talent.
Randy Shannon and staff have been recruiting big time. Adding Brown to the mix bar none gives Miami the strongest class of incoming linebackers in the nation, with Sean Spence, Ramon Buchanan and Marcus Robinson – all four-star recruits – already on board.
This is an exciting day for Hurricane Nation. With no bowl game in site and still reeling from a 5-7 season, Canes fans are searching for any bright spot they can find right now. When the present is murky, it’s time to look to the future and recruiting.
Following the likes of Miami Northwestern in their championship run and pulling for Booker T. Washington to take care of business has been a welcomed distraction these past few weeks. Miami has upwards of eight verbals from those two schools combined and come Signing Day, could have even more on board.
As most know by now, this is a package deal. Brown’s younger brother Bryce Brown is a junior and whichever school landed Brown would have the inside track on little bro, already projected to be one of the top recruits in the nation this time next year.
Kudos to Shannon and linebacker coach Micheal Barrow for pulling off the amazing feat of bringing Brown and his family to Miami. This decision was bigger than football. It was a life decision as the Brown family is headed to Coral Gables to follow their son. The rapport the Browns built with Shannon and Barrow was your deciding factor here.
Focusing on the University of Miami as a school, the education received and all that the city of Miami has to offer – that is what brought Brown to this decision today. Shannon knows there’s more to life than football. He believes it and doesn’t just preach it like some other ‘football factory’ coaches out there.
We’re one step closer, people. Get excited. A top talent just did the “hat trick” and Miami came out on top.
To Arthur and the rest of the Brown fam, bienvinedos a Miami!
That’s what I’m talkin’ about! The college game is about stockpiling talen and Coach has done it better than Coker had in all his years in his first true Year 1. Brown is one of the top LB’s in the country and this is a great get (verbal). For those who say Shannon can only recruit, that’s a great trait to have. Mack Brown can “only recruit” and he has a ring. Give Shannon a chance to get some players in and then judge him. Brown’s brother is also one of the top RB’s in the country and has the size which we could also use (210 +) if he came our way. I am very happy to get these players so far, at least verbally. This is first step- getting them to come. The next step is to get them to play as a unit and develop them. Worry about the other steps after Step 1. That is most important right now. If we get all these players who have veballed to us right now, this will be a great class- not a good class, a GREAT class. This is according to the so called experts. Keep up the great work coaches! Don’t let these other programs poach from us!
-Columbus Cane
Absolutely the best recruiting job in years. How about them Hurricanes!!!!!!
Well let’s see if this guy contributes before anointing this a great recruit.We’ve had plenty of guys even out of last year’s class (like Wiggins and Bailey) whose recruiting rankings have not been justified but what I have seen.
I just hope our fans recognize that this is a multiple year long term rebuilding effort. I’m not thrilled with RS decisions thus far in many regards but if he is to be given a shot he needs AT LEAST four years maybe more. We are a small private school not a massive state school like Ohio State, Florida or Texas with unlimited resources to chase recruits, assistant coaches and intangibles. Despite our amazing history and tradition the odds are firmly stacked against us returning to glory quickly so we must all be patient.
Well let’s see if this guy contributes before anointing this a great recruit.We’ve had plenty of guys even out of last year’s class (like Wiggins and Bailey) whose recruiting rankings have not been justified but what I have seen.
Neither Wiggins or Bailey was getting this kind of hype. Bailey was a non-factor this past year, so hard to say the rankings “weren’t justified” until he’s on the field and making an impact. I still hope they move him to the d-line.
For every Brown, there’s a Willie Williams or DJ Williams. Some live up to the hype and others don’t. Brown looks like he has the tools and certainly isn’t the headcase or trouble maker WW was. More fun to be optimistic about the future than trying to muzzle the emotions and play the ‘wait and see’ game. What fun is that? We’ve been ‘waiting’ for almost five years now.
I just hope our fans recognize that this is a multiple year long term rebuilding effort. I’m not thrilled with RS decisions thus far in many regards but if he is to be given a shot he needs AT LEAST four years maybe more. We are a small private school not a massive state school like Ohio State, Florida or Texas with unlimited resources to chase recruits, assistant coaches and intangibles. Despite our amazing history and tradition the odds are firmly stacked against us returning to glory quickly so we must all be patient.
4-5 years is a stretch. It didn’t take us that long to bounce back from probation in the mid-90s and it won’t take that long to rebound from a few garbage recruiting classes, thanks to Coker.
Miami can be in the hunt by 2009-2010 IF these recruits pan out.
We’ve never had the resources, yet Miami always gets the job done. Shannon saved last year’s class and is on pace to land one of the top 2 or 3 classes in the country this year. Do it again in 2009 and the Canes will be back.
We need consistency at quarterback. We haven’t had it since Dorsey left. Either Harris, Marve, Smith or Cook needs to step up and prove their worth.
Cannon Smith is really the best bet of the QBs in this class. He has a live arm and has excelled playing in different systems.
I do think we are a minimum of three years away. Four to Five? I hope not!
Good lord…
He looks like he’s 30…