First look: 2012 athlete looking for offers

Richie Brown knows schools are interested in him. Now, he's just waiting for them to take that next step and extend an offer.

The 6-foot-3, 222-pounder from Long Beach, Miss., is a member of the 2012 signing class and has not received any verbal scholarship offers thus far, but Brown constantly receives mail from schools across the country; including representatives from the Ivy League, ACC, and SEC - institutions that are equally intrigued by his diverse abilities.

Brown, a two-way player, prefers linebacker despite occasional stints at running back, fullback, and wide receiver for his Long Beach squad.

"A lot of (the schools) have told me to come and camp next year," Brown said. "I get a lot of letters inviting to their games because they want to meet me in person. I think they're just waiting to meet me and really just pass the eye test."

Brown has had correspondence with "UCLA, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Duke, Stanford, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Princeton, and a few more."

Over the summer, Brown and his teammates traveled to several schools for 7-on-7 tournaments, including Alabama, Ole Miss, and Southern Miss.

Brown's father took his son for an additional tour of the Oxford campus, despite the elder Brown's affinity for the Golden Eagles and the Brown family's various allegiances.

"My family has always liked (Southern Miss)," Brown noted. "My dad went to Southern and I have a lot of family in Louisiana, so they like LSU. I like Ole Miss and I like Alabama because they're local, but right now I'm pretty open. I still have to visit the campuses and see what they're all about.

"I went to an elite, invite-only camp at Ole Miss this summer. My dad took me and I liked it. I liked coach Nutt, he was real cool. And the linebackers coach (Tyrone Nix), I liked him and what he had to say about his program. I like how they have a real good attitude about football (at Ole Miss)."

Brown visited Mississippi's other SEC institution, Mississippi State. His tour of Starkville was not as extensive as his trips to Ole Miss, but Brown noted "it was nice, I just kind of visited the campus and looked around a little bit." He also noted the trip to Alabama and spoke of the top notch facilities.

Brown knows he has loads of time to begin consideration for his college choice and also noted his willingness to move outside of his comfort zone.

"Close to home is nice," Brown added. "But it shouldn't be a problem to go far away or out of state or anything. I'm open to wherever, if I think the program will fit me best."

The standout junior has compiled "about 60" tackles through four games for Long Beach.

As a sophomore, Brown tallied 162 tackles and added 18 receptions for 378 yards and ran 60 times for 368 yards as a fullback.