Kevin Brown just needed an extra day.
A day after his future teammates faxed in their National Letters
of Intent, Brown finally signed with UCLA yesterday morning. The
signing capped a hectic day of indecision for Brown, who originally
told UCLA coaches he was coming to Westwood, but decided to hold
off on signing the letter until he could talk to his parents.
“I was all ready to fax (the Letter of Intent) in, but I
pulled it out,” Brown said. “I was a little shaky, but
once I got home, I realized that I really wanted to go to UCLA.
It’s the right situation for me, and this is just the
beginning of something big.”
Brown was torn between his childhood favorite Florida State and
the close-to-home Bruins, but his mother and high school coach
played an influential role in the decision.
“The recruiting process was difficult for all of
us,” Long Beach Poly head coach Raul Lara said. “He was
indecisive on Wednesday, so I sent him home to talk to his parents.
Today, he has peace with his mom and he’s very happy with his
decision.”
Brown will join UCLA as an athletic defensive tackle who can
stop the run and put pressure on the quarterback. While playing
primarily on third down passing situations, Brown picked up 10
sacks his senior year in high school. Additionally, many analysts
believe he is also one of the nation’s top offensive linemen
““ the position at which the Seminoles had planned to use
him.
“I’ll play anywhere, but UCLA recruited me for
defense,” said Brown, who is now 6-foot-2, 299 pounds.
“I think I can get upfield. I see myself as a
difference-maker as a pass-rushing defensive tackle.”
Brown joins high school teammate and defensive end Junior
Lemau’u as part of the Bruins’ incoming class. In the
future, there could be three former Long Beach Poly teammates on
the defensive line, as freshman tight end Marcedes Lewis will
likely get a look at defensive end as well.
“We’ll be the 1-2-3 Poly punch,” Brown said.
“It’ll be great to see familiar faces and grow up
together. We can turn this program around.”
Brown’s decision to stay close to home caps UCLA’s
18-player recruiting class. It is also rumored that Brown’s
brother, Syracuse defensive tackle Eugene Brown, could transfer to
UCLA.