Logan Brown is the subject of this edition of Freshman Focus, Badger of Honor’s series helping Wisconsin football fans get to know the incoming 2019 recruiting class.
Recruiting profile
Position: Offensive Tackle
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Rankings: 5-star (No. 4 OT, No. 17 overall)
Other offers: Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech, among others.
The crown jewel of Wisconsin’s 2019 recruiting class, Brown is the second-highest rated player to sign with the Badgers in the recruiting rankings era, behind only Josh Oglesby from the class of 2007.
As has often been the case throughout the recent history of the program, Wisconsin was ultimately able to win out in this recruitment as a result of the staff’s successful efforts at establishing a relationship with Brown and his camp very early on in the process. The Badgers were the first Power 5 program to extend a scholarship offer back in June of 2016 when he was a rising high school sophomore, a leap of faith that would ultimately pay enormous dividends by helping Wisconsin land just its fifth 5-star prospect since 2001 when Brown committed in November 2017.
Brown committed with over a year remaining until the early signing period last December, but despite the efforts of some of college football’s elite programs, he never wavered in his pledge to Wisconsin.
What to expect
Brown probably has the highest ceiling of any player on Wisconsin’s current roster, regardless of position.
As I said in my signing day breakdown piece in the winter, if you were building the prototypical offensive tackle, the final product would probably look pretty similar to him. Brown boasts an impressive 6’6 frame that he will easily be able to pack plenty of good weight onto in Madison, along with excellent athleticism, agility, and flexibility for a guy his size.
However, while his physical traits are special and hint at a bright future in the NFL, what gives me the most confidence that he will be a star are his intangibles. Brown is an impressive young man with a great head on his shoulders to go along with a high motor on the field that is evident when watching his film. Put it all together, and he already looks like a pretty safe bet to be a very high NFL draft choice in a few years. Don’t just take my word for it, though: recruiting analyst Allen Trieu of 247Sports knows quite a bit more about this kind of stuff than I do, and he projects Brown as a potential first-round selection down the road and compares him to the Tennessee Titans’ Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Lewan.
Given how much depth Wisconsin returns to the offensive line this season, we probably aren’t likely to see much of Brown this fall. I would imagine that the plan right now would be to have him redshirt this season while gaining valuable playing experience in mop-up duty in the maximum four games allowed by the NCAA while still preserving a year of eligibility. That being said, given Brown’s talent, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him push for a spot on the two-deep this season. If he were to be successful in that endeavor, he would be just a couple of injuries away from seeing big-time snaps.
However, look for Brown to challenge for a starting spot as soon as the 2020-21 season. Left tackle Cole Van Lanen already seems like a relatively safe bet to leave school early and declare for the NFL draft this spring as long as he stays healthy, and Brown could very well be his heir apparent at that position.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com