Recruiting is all about replacing, and ideally improving on, departed talent, and that makes the commitment of composite four-star linebacker Josh Brown one of the more important acquisitions for the 'Noles in 2016. Brown goes 6'2.5, 206, is an early enrollee from Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek High School, and is rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, Rivals, and 247sports, while Scout considers him a three-star talent.
In addition to FSU, Brown received offers from Alabama, Florida, LSU, UCLA, Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Louisville, among others, and visited Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Duke, and West Virginia.
Signing Brown could be key for FSU, which has a serious need at the linebacker position after the departures of Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup. We'll have to see if the 'Noles give him a shot inside or if he remains on the edge. The fact that he's already on campus and will participate in spring practice certainly can't hurt.
If Brown can add some weight, he might have a shot to make a real impact early on. When watching Brown's tape, you see excellent closing speed and good diagnosing of the play. He also changes direction quite well and shows good balance. Brown has good instincts for making plays and is an excellent addition to Florida State's class, whether he ends up at defensive end or inside linebacker.
Brown is also a deep man of faith and spoke with SB Nation's Bud Elliott about it over the summer. The son of a pastor, Brown works the sound booth at church. Faith didn't bring him to Florida State, but he did say that he could tell which coaches were genuine or not genuine as the various schools stopped by to recruit him. Brown also helped to ensure that future teammate Janarius Robinson stayed committed to the Seminoles.
If you'd like to follow Brown on Twitter, you can do so here.