At 6-8, 345 pounds, class of 2014 offensive line prospect Orlando Brown Jr. (Peachtree Ridge HS, Ga.) has his late father’s size, and there is already a high demand for his services on the recruiting trail partly because of that pedigree.
However, a glimpse at the younger Brown’s junior season highlight video quickly reveals that Brown is much more than a legacy prospect:
Brown is one of Georgia’s top offensive line prospects in the 2014 class, and he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he already has 42 college scholarship offers. Although he probably won’t make a final decision until after his senior season, Brown reportedly has narrowed his list down to seven schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Brown’s father played 11 seasons in the NFL between 1993 and 2005 for the Cleveland Browns (pre-Baltimore move and post-Baltimore move) and Baltimore Ravens. A mammoth offensive tackle (6-7, 360 pounds), the elder Brown earned the nickname “Zeus” during his playing career.
In 2001 he sued the NFL for $200 million under the claim that his career ended prematurely due to an injury he sustained after being hit in the eye by a referee’s penalty flag during a 1999 game. Sources told The New York Times that Brown eventually settled the case for between $15 million and $25 million in 2002.
Orlando Brown Sr. died in 2011.
Given the premium that colleges place on elite offensive line prospects, Orlando Brown Jr. is likely to be at the center one of the more intriguing recruiting battles to watch during the coming year.