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Texas offers hard-hitting S Chris Brown

The physical prospect looks like a Charlie Strong type of football player.

Chris Brown
Chris Brown
Student Sports

As the Texas Longhorns hosted a number of important visitors on Friday, the staff extended an offer to Alief Elsik safety Chris Brown:

The 5'11, 183-pounder is a consensus three-star prospect ranked as the No. 912 prospect, the No. 60 safety, and the No. 112 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Among the 17 schools to offer Brown are Arizona State, Duke, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

As a whole, it's not a mind-blowing list, but the fact that Jim Harbaugh, Mark Dantonio, and Bob Stoops all think Chris Brown can play? That's a much more ringing endorsement than the rankings, which don't really do Brown any justice.

A teammate of No. 2 inside linebacker Dontavious Jackson, who is also on campus at Texas on Friday, Brown's recruitment is a bit of a mystery, as there are only two predictions in his 247Sports Crystal Ball -- one ot Michigan and one to Oklahoma. Those predictions are not especially surprising, though, as those were clearly his two best offers entering Friday.

One thing to watch? Brown believes the Aggies are close to offering and that has certainly become a game-changer in recent years, especially for prospects in Houston.

Otherwise, Texas should have a definite shot in Brown's recruitment because he took two unofficial visits to Austin this year, including a trip for the February Junior Day.

Brown posted a 4.47 shuttle at the Dallas The Opening Regional back in March, as well as a 35.7-inch vertical -- so he's an explosive athlete, though not elite in his agility. As a junior, he was a playmaker in the secondary, intecepting five passes, breaking up five more, and forcing two fumbles. If there's an area to improve as a senior, it's in geting around the ball more because he only had 43 tackles, but playing behind Jackson ensures that there aren't a lot of running backs free into the last level of defense.

Even with the lack of gaudy tackle stats, Brown can run the alley and finish with force from his deep safety position, so he's not a guy who will have to learn how to hit when he arrives at his college destination. He also has good ball skills, can step up in coverage and then flip his hips to transition, so he's a pretty complete safety overall.

Watching his film, it's hard to understand how he's a mid three-star prospect.

If Texas can eventually land Brown, he has the look of a Charlie Strong developmental special -- a three-star prospect with some serious upside who could grow into a longtime contributor if he can maximize his talent.