ATH Louis Brown decommits from Baylor, offered by Texas

The hazards of early recruiting mauled the Baylor Bears on Sunday, as consensus three-star Burton athlete Louis Brown decided to end his commitment to head coach Art Briles and his staff:

opened my recruiting process back open, decommitted from Baylor today.

— ⭐-LOUIE-B-⭐ (@loulouking21) June 8, 2014

The 6'6, 208-pounder who could play a number of positions at the college level depending on his growth, Burton had pledged to the Bears in early March after naming them his leaders the day before.

Not long after Brown announced the news of his decommitment via Twitter, the Texas Longhorns took the opportunity to get more serious about his recruitment:

Just received a offer from The University Of Texas. #Hook'Em

— ⭐-LOUIE-B-⭐ (@loulouking21) June 9, 2014

The Burton product had visited Texas for the spring game, so there has already been some expression of interest on his part in the school. Rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports, the service has him as the No. 17 athlete in the country, the No. 14 player in the state of Texas, and the No. 147 player overall.

Schools like Mississippi State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas Tech, and Washington State have offered Brown and he could certainly see more come in his direction in the coming days and weeks since his recruitment is open once again.

The Horns, however, would seem to be in a strong position with him based on that previous interest and the fact that three 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions have already come in for Texas in the hours since he received his offer.

If Texas was to receive a commitment from the versatile athlete, the next question would be what position he would play in burnt orange.

Linebacker could be the immediate destination for Brown, but because of his huge frame and lanky build, it's certainly possible that he ends up growing into a defensive end at the college level once he gets into a college strength and conditioning program, as he looks like he could eventually carry 230 to 240 pounds.

Brown spends some time at running back for Burton, but also makes plays on defense and on special teams.

With the ball in his hands, he has remarkable fluidity and lateral quickness for an athlete of his size, as he's capable of making sharp cuts to change direction and even has a spin move. When he approaches contact, he does an excellent job of consistently lowering his shoulder and getting behind his pads to pick up extra yardage, something that many tall running backs struggle to achieve.

One play defensively shows off Brown's instincts on that side of the ball, as he jumps a screen pass and returns it for a touchdown. in fact, a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker position may be the best way to get Burton onto the field as he develops physically.

There's certainly no question that if he realizes his significant upside, he could become a rangy, disruptive player during his career.

For Texas, there's a chance that he could end up at tight end or in an inside receiver because of need -- the Horns should probably take two in this class since the current scholarship chart features only Blake Whiteley for the 2016 season.

With plenty of room to develop left in Brown's frame, he's a bit like a lot of the defensive backs that new head coach Charlie Strong has been offering -- there's a significant amount of physical upside left and he looks like the type of kid who should be an easy gainer in college.

Time to do some serious recruiting with him now.