SIGNED: CB DJ Brown
Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High cornerback DJ Brown submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame.
RANKINGS
Rivals: 3-star
BGI Grade: 3.5-star
Upside Grade: 4.0-star
MEASURABLES
Brown’s Hudl page lists a shuttle time of 4.28.
HONORS
2018 Under Armour All-American.
2017 All-USA Washington, D.C. first-team defense.
2017 All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference first-team defense.
2017 All-Met Honorable Mention.
RECRUITMENT
POWER FIVE OFFERS: Arizona, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Virginia.
Brown signed with the Irish this afternoon over Northwestern and California.
The long-time Virginia commit backed off his pledge to the Cavaliers on Jan. 30, which came on the same day he left his Notre Dame official. Brown originally committed to Virginia on July 6, but did not sign in the early period.
Notre Dame offered Brown on Nov. 29 and the three-star was planning to take his official for the Echoes banquet, but cancelled due to it appearing the Irish may not have room for another defensive back in the class.
Cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght helped lead the way in Brown's recruitment.
NOTABLE
High school teammate of current Irish freshman defensive end Kofi Wardlow.
Helped St. John’s capture first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title in 2017 and first conference title since 1989.
2018 PROJECTION
Brown has the size and football IQ to play early, but the depth chart at Notre Dame is loaded at cornerback, which will make early playing time difficult for any incoming corner.
BGI ANALYSIS
“There is a lot to like about D.J. Brown. The first thing that stands out about Brown is his size. He is on the thin side, but he has a good frame that should allow him to get to 195-200 pounds. What I like about his size is his impressive length. Brown checked in at 6-1 and 183 pounds this summer, and he has long arms. He’ll need to keep getting stronger, but Brown has strong hands, which makes him good at the line of scrimmage from a physicality standpoint.
Athletically, Brown isn’t explosive and he lacks ideal long speed, but his short area athletic tools are really good. Brown has quick feet, which helps him pedal fast and to plant and drive downhill. He is at his best when he keeps the receiver in front of him, and he can then plant on his back foot and drive on the ball. His short area burst is really impressive, and it helps him make a lot of plays on the football. The change of direction skills he shows on film and his ability to read routes allows him to play faster than he actually is.
Brown is able to play faster not only because of his agility. His instincts and football IQ play a big role as well. His ability to read and anticipate routes is really good, and he makes fast decisions in coverage. At times he’ll get a bit too aggressive and will bite on first moves, but overall he’s a disruptive defender.” – BGI Football Analyst Bryan Driskell
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