Meet The Freshman: EDGE Jaylen Brown

A riser in national recruiting rankings, Alabama native Jaylen Brown appears to be yet another option on a stacked offensive line.

When Madison, Ala native Jaylen Brown announced his commitment to head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers, he appeared as a question mark to fans. He was not an in-state recruit and he was lower rated.

By the end of the national ranking cycle, he had risen all the way into the top-300 of national composite rankings, to the surprise of Tiger fans. He's now the third-highest-ranked composite recruit in the Tiger's 2024 class.

High School

Brown only played one year of varsity football, where he thrived on the EDGE for the James Clemens Jets. This past season, he recorded 64 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 7 sacks in 10 game appearances.

He played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game, alongside Crimson Tide commits Ryan Williams, Jeremiah Beaman, Quinton Reese and Dre Kirkpatrick Jr, among many other top recruits. He landed on the All-7A Alabama Region 4 first-team as well.

Recruiting

Brown ended the season as a 4-star, composite ranked No. 282 player in the country. He was also the No. 37 defensive lineman in the nation and No. 16 in Alabama. Brown ended the year ranked ahead of two former Missouri targets: Houston running back commit J'Marion Burnette and Kentucky defensive back Cam Dooley. Dooley was at one point committed to the Tigers.

Rivals was the only site not to rank him as a 4-star and he was ranked as high as No. 129 in the country by 247sports, as well as the No. 22 EDGE and No. 9 in Alabama.

Brown never had an explosion of offers, committing to the Tigers on August 22, 2023, early in his recruitment. He picked up an offer from Houston shortly after his offer from Missouri, as well as one from South Carolina after committing to the Tigers.

As far as other offers go, he held them from Maryland, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern and others.

Fit with the Tigers

Brown, similar to 5-star Williams Nwaneri, is a huge, athletic specimen who heavily relies on his size and speed to get to the point-of-attack. He hasn't been playing football for very long, with only one season of varsity football statistics under his belt. That will more than likely hinder his timetable for playing time.

He's listed as 6-foot-6, 250-pounds, another part of what gives him so much upside as a recruit. He doesn't have much of a toolbox off the line-of-scrimmage, but he's fast and strong enough to get to the quarterback and ball carriers. That toolbox looks slightly better when defending the run compared to the pass.

The odds of brown seeing much of the field this coming season are low. Nwaneri will likely be in front of him on the depth chart, not to mention a plethora of transfers the Tigers brought in. 4-star Elias Williams could be another name to jump ahead of Brown. Former Georgia edge-rusher Darris Smith has a lot of hype entering the year, as does former Michigan State defensive lineman Zion Young.

Georgia Tech's Eddie Kelly is versatile and can play all around the defensive line, another newcomer who could stand in Brown's way. Returning seniors Johnny Walker Jr. and Joe Moore will see the field frequently, and former 3-star and redshirt-freshman Jahkai Lang could be another name to keep an eye out for. Because Brown is so raw, a couple of years of growth and strengthening for the Alabama native should aid in his development.

This story is a part of a series from MizzouCentral this summer, breaking down where each new Tiger will fit on the 2024 team.

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