• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

'07 OH DE/ATH Vincent Browne (Northwestern signee)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Lisbon's Browne headed to Northwestern

By RON FIRTH
Journal Sports Editor

LISBON — Guess what Vince Browne has been doing on his summer vacation?

The Lisbon High School senior football standout received full-ride offers from 10 NCAA Division I-A programs and verbally committed Tuesday afternoon to play for Northwestern University.

“I met with the coaches and checked out the campus (in Evanston, Ill.) on Monday and I loved it,” Browne said.

“It’s an awesome balance between academics and playing Division I Big 10 college football. It seemed like they really wanted me.”

Browne flew into O’Hare Airport in Chicago on Sunday and made the one-and-a-half hour drive to the campus. After his whirlwind tour Monday, his mind was made up.

“I called Coach (Pat) Fitzgerald and I said I was heading up there next September,” Browne said. “He told me I was his second signee.”

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Browne is being looked at as a defensive end, but coaches also talked to him about playing linebacker down the road.

Northwestern finished 7-5 last season, including a 50-38 loss to UCLA in the Sun Bowl.

The Wildcats gave up an average of 33.9 points and 480 total yards per game a year ago. So they’re looking for help defensively, signing three defensive lineman this year and Browne expects to bring more help next year.

Browne emerged as Lisbon’s top player last year. He led the Blue Devils with 94 tackles, including 27 solos, two sacks, one fumble recovery and two pass deflections at linebacker. He also split time on offense at tight end and tackle.

His head started spinning when Akron offered him a full ride in February.

“Coming from Lisbon, that’s not a common thing,” Browne said. “I was shocked when Akron offered me a scholarship in February. I think it actually took me a week for it to sink in.”

When word got out about the Akron offer and Browne’s impressive showing at football camps he attended, more schools came calling.

“In March and April it just snowballed,” Browne said. “I started to get more and more offers. Once you get one offer, colleges start looking at you. They think this kid gets so many offers there must be something to him.”

Besides Northwestern and Akron, Browne said he also was offered full rides by Indiana, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Kansas, Colorado, Ohio University and Miami of Ohio.

Browne has been conditioning with his Lisbon teammates and was hoping to make his college decision before practice starts next week.

“That has been my plan since the start of all this,” he said. “It’s good to finally get a school to fit perfectly. It’s an awesome opportunity for me.”

Browne is Lisbon’s first NCAA Division I-A football recruit since Zach Williams from the Blue Devils’ 1995 Division V state championship team went on to be the starting quarterback at Kent State.

“There’s going to be tons of pressure on me,” Browne said about his senior season that will start with the Aug. 24 opener against Leetonia. “I’m going to have to live up to the hype.”
Click to expand...

http://www.morningjournalnews.com/sports/articles.asp?articleID=3332
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top