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Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal

College coaches from the nation's top powers, recruiting analysts and fans will all be closely following the pursuit of Harding Academy's Marlon Brown, a 6-5 wide receiver.

Harding wide receiver Brown has the skills to become top prospect
By Jason Smith (Contact)
Friday, February 8, 2008

The highlight DVD begins with Marlon Brown, all 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds of him, hurdling over a would-be tackler like a deer would a fence.

"Did you notice the cut before that?!" asks Harding Academy football coach Ryan Derrick. "I mean, just a 6-5 kid doing that, to me, is absolutely unbelievable."

With the 2008 National Signing Day now in the books, Brown, whose size and skills have landed him scholarship offers already from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Stanford to name a few, is almost certain to be Shelby-Metro's top prep football prospect in 2009.

In fact, he may go down as the area's most coveted high school prospect ever, considering Shelby-Metro has never before produced a "five-star" prep prospect according to Rivals.com, which ranks Brown the No. 13 overall junior prospect nationally and one of 14 "five-star" prospects in the Class of 2009.

"I think he's one of the top handful of prospects in the country. He's a guy that we're going to be keeping our eye on for the next 365 days," Rivals.com editor-in-chief Bobby Burton said Thursday.

"He is athletic, catches the ball well and runs well after the catch for a guy with that kind of size. ... He's another of those guys that, you know, is a big, ol' tall-looking basketball-like wide receiver."

Marlon Brown at a glance

Basics: 6-5, 205 pounds

Statistics: As a junior in 2007 -- 41 receptions, 861 yards, six receiving TDs; 58 rushing attempts, 629 rushing yards (10.8 yards per carry), 10 rushing TDs.

Accolades: Selected to Rivals.com's Junior All-American Team; ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 13 overall junior prospect in the nation.

College offers: Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami-Fla., Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas Tech.

Harding wide receiver Brown has the skills to become top prospect : Preps : Commercial Appeal