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The Gophers continue to have a red-hot week recruiting, adding their fifth commitment in the span of a week. 2023 three-star safety Kerry Brown verbally committed Monday, after his official visit over the weekend at the Summer Splash event. Brown is a 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back from Naples, Florida. After a great junior season, he picked up top offers from NC State, Louisville, West Virginia and Vanderbilt. After previously releasing a top-seven list in February that didn’t include the Gophers, he officially decided to join the Maroon & Gold Monday afternoon.
1000% COMMITED‼️
Truly blessed #AGTG 🙏🏾!!! @Coach_DCollins @Coach_Fleck @GopherFootball @CoachNickFaus @naplesfootball pic.twitter.com/UEsgukhsJu— Kerry “KB” Brown (@kerrybrown_1) June 13, 2022
Who is Kerry Brown?:
Kerry Brown is a three-sport student-athlete that attends Naples High School (enrollment ~1,800) in Naples, Florida. He had a terrific junior campaign on the gridiron, accumulating 82 total tackles, eight TFLs and three interceptions, en-route to leading Naples to a District Title, and a 10-1 record in Florida’s 6A classification. He was also a finalist for top defensive player in Southwest Florida, at the annual Southwest Florida sports awards. When not playing football, Brown was an All-Area third-team selection in basketball after averaging 11.4 points per game as a junior. Lastly, he is also a track & field standout, where he has gone as low as 11.29 in the 100-meter dash.
- Scouting Report:
Brown is an explosive defensive back with great coverage skills and instinctual tackling ability. He plays with a great overall feel and looks very comfortable on the football field. His 11.29 speed shows up with a terrific pick-6 return on the second play of his highlight tape. Listed at only 175 pounds, he still has room to grow into his body, but he has all of the tools to be a very productive Big Ten safety.
**High School Football Hudl Highlights:
Instant Reaction:
The Gophers are simply not messing around with this recruiting cycle. A lot of recruits clearly had a good time at last weekend’s Summer Splash/official visit event. 13 commitments at this point of the process is certainly on the high end, but they continue to add solid talent. Kerry Brown is the Gophers’ second defensive back commitment and fifth defensive player overall in this class. I was very impressed with Brown’s feel for the game and I think it is certainly something that can translate to the next level. Rated as the No. 891 player in the country according to 247sports, Brown is the seventh player in this class. His addition continues to add great overall depth to this class.
What is next?:
I previously said that I expected the Gophers to eventually slow down, but who knows at this point? Brown’s addition gives Minnesota 13 total commitments, only five short of last year’s total of 18 players. 247sports rated this as the No. 12 class in the country before Brown’s commitment, so I would imagine that number will only increase. It might seem like the Gophers could slow down, but I have a feeling they’re far from done adding talent this summer.
Full 2023 class:
- OL Reese Tripp
- OL Jerome Williams
- RB Darius Taylor
- CB Za’Quan Bryan
- TE Pierce Walsh
- DL Martin Owusu
- OL Greg Johnson
- QB Drew Viotto
- LB Alex Elliot
- TE Sam Peters
- OT De’Eric Mister
- LB Tre Tre McCutchin
- S Kerry Brown