No. 1 in the Land: University High’s Lamar Brown targets decision next month
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
The background picture at the top of Lamar Brown’s personal account on X (formerly Twitter) speaks volumes.
A wide-angled shot of the NFL Draft’s stage is a daily reminder where the 6-foot-5, 295-pound five-star prospect from University High wants to ultimately take his football journey.
“That’s the main goal for me,” Brown said. “I have to stay strong to get that goal. It would be life-changing for me and my parents. That’s the goal I want to achieve in my life.”
Brown is the nation’s top-rated athlete – a combination of his ability to play both the offensive and defensive line – and has begun taking his official visits with a target date of July 10 for his college choice.
“I’m really excited about this decision,” he said. “I’m just ready to get everything over with so I can just focus on my team at school and winning a state championship my senior year.”
Brown has been on LSU’s campus since the seventh grade, but the Tigers are far from a slam-dunk choice to land his massive talents.
He’s managed to pare down a list of 32 scholarship offers (the first coming from LSU going into his freshman year) into four official visits this month which began at the end of May 30 with a trip to Miami.
Brown’s visit tour continues with a trip to Texas on June 6 followed the next two weeks with visits to Texas A&M; and LSU. He canceled a fifth trip to Florida State.
“Those are the four I had the greatest relationships with,” Brown said. “I feel I can play at those schools. I felt comfortable at those schools.”
U-High football coach Andy Martin, the school’s previous defensive coordinator has been on campus to witness some high-level recruiting battles and feels Brown has maintained a level of perspective throughout.
“I think he’s handled the whole recruiting process very well,” he said. “It’s changed so much even from when we had some high-profile guys before. Right now, it’s a completely different game.
“I think he’s taken it all in stride and has done the things he needs to do to be a big-time recruit,” he said. “But he’s also a good person, making the right decisions and figuring out where his landing spot’s going to be.”
Brown’s recruiting process got a jump start when LSU decided to extend a scholarship before his freshman season.
He caught the eyes of the Tigers’ staff assembled during their camp, watching the agility and power of Brown working with the offensive line group against older players.
But Brown always had an affinity for defense and grew up watching former U-High standout and LSU defensive tackle, Jaquelin Roy, who eventually was a fifth-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings and is now on the roster of the New England Patriots.
“I started to think about playing in college and the NFL my seventh-grade year,” Brown said. “I used to go see Jaquelin at mini-camps at U-High and that’s what I wanted to be like one day. He helped me with the (recruiting) process when he was here. I also liked (former Georgia standout) Jalen Carter (of Philadelphia Eagles).”
Roy and Garrett Brumfield, who went on to start at LSU, were two Division I linemen who developed highly profiled careers and set the bar for linemen at U-High until the arrival of Brown, who pushed for immediate playing time.
His career began as a freshman and has continued over the last three seasons, becoming a two-way starter on offense and defense, and is the No. 1 prospect on the ESPN300 list.
Both On3Sports and 247 Sports have ranked him as the nation’s No. 1 athlete, the state’s top-rated prospect with a No. 7 overall ranking from On3.
Brown was selected to the MaxPreps Freshman and Sophomore All-America teams and was a Class 3A All-State honorable mention choice in 2024.
“It was great,” Brown said of his initial offer. “I didn’t really know what it meant. People said it was great. I felt good about it. I was 14 going against seniors (from Class of 2023) which was the best of the best.
“I dominated that camp and (former LSU defensive line) coach (Jamar) Cain felt like he should offer me and that’s when it took off from there,” Brown said. “It was kind of life-changing. People started to look different at me, but I was still the same person before I got the offer.”
The lofty national rankings were a result of his dedication, but Brown never allowed the prestige to deter his work ethic.
“It’s a true blessing,” he said, “but I know my job is not finished yet. My parents (Matthew and Shontal Brown) are still working, so I’m still pushing and striving to get to college and the NFL to retire them.
“That’s something I did good that season,” he said of dealing with the rankings. “I know it’s not going to mean anything when I get to college. I’m going to have to prove myself when I get
there.”
Martin said Brown’s attitude has been contagious, a team-first guy who’s endeared himself to those around him.
“He has a good body and build, but he works so hard,” he said. “He looks good right now, but it’s from a lot of work.”
Brown’s been a part of U-High’s offensive line at left tackle, displaying the ability to both run block and pass protect.
In more than 120 snaps on offense last season, he didn’t allow any pressures or quarterback sacks.
“I think he would be a good center or guard in the pros,” Martin said.
However, Brown has decided on a career playing defensive end in college.
He recorded 44 tackles with a pair of sacks and minus-5 yards last season, following up a 32-tackle, 4-sack season in 2023.
“Just seeing what I’m best at, seeing where I feel more comfortable at,” said Brown, the nation’s No. 1 ranked lineman on both offense and defense. “I feel comfortable at O-line, too. But I feel the most comfortable at D-line. I always wanted to be a game changer. That’s how I play. To be destructive.”
Martin understands Brown’s rationale. It’s a position that will show his athleticism, where his footwork is already elite with a nasty demeanor.
“He plays with great leverage,” he said. “He’s so athletic. His feet are so good. He’s 295 right now and doesn’t look it at all. He carries his weight so well. He’s going to be a force down in there because of his feet and his hands. All of the intangibles that you want, he’s got.”
There have been unofficial visits to USC, Alabama and Central Florida that gave Brown a sense of what to look for in a program and the relationship building that came with dealing with coaches.
With an emphasis on playing defense in college, Brown began to develop closer bonds with defensive line coaches, a process that also led to a deeper sense of trust and eventually a list of four schools to consider.
“That’s all we’re looking for,” he said. “The best scheme fit for me, and whether I feel comfortable going there.”
The deeper connections Brown felt allowed him to reciprocate with official visits to meet with Damione Lewis and Jason Taylor at Miami, Kenny Baker at Texas, Sean Spencer at Texas A&M and Kyle Williams at LSU.
“I get comfortable every time,” Brown said of his previous visits to each school. “That’s why I like to visit a lot of places, to see if I’m getting comfortable.”
There’s always been advice on how to handle the process. One of his closest friends at U-High, LSU signee Keylon Moses whose brother Dylan was an Alabama signee, has been a go-to source on the subject.
“He’s one of the main people I’ve talked to, so that’s helped in my recruiting,” he said. “He’s been there since I’ve gotten into high school. It’s a true blessing.”
Another layer of his recruiting process is track and field where Brown has won state titles in the discus and shot put during his career.
LSU, which won its fifth outdoor national championship in 2021, is one such school that’s also recruiting him in track.
“It’s not going to make or break things,” Brown said, “but if I get a chance to throw in college, I would like to.”
It was a hot afternoon when U-High’s 7-on-7 team began the Robert Graves Metro Baton Rouge Summer League, running onto the fields at Elite Training Academy with its requisite skill players for competition.
While the Cubs’ teams took turns on offense and defense, there was a familiar face on the team’s sideline where temperatures rose above 90 degrees on the artificial turf.
Brown, with a towel draped around his massive neck, was on hand to cheer on his teammates who were breaking in several new players at the more glamourous positions of quarterback, running back and wide receiver.
After each round of play, Brown offered words of encouragement and joined them in the huddle after each game where Martin presided.
“He could have gone somewhere else,” Martin said of Brown. “He has no part in 7-on-7 but wants to be with his team. That shows his character and the type of kid he is. From his work ethic to his attitude, he’s a great kid, too. He’s one of the leaders of our team. Lamar checks all of the boxes right now.”
U-High has been at the epicenter for the past decade for some of the nation’s top recruits.
Brown has certainly fallen in line and is a target of some of the nation’s top programs.
Dylan Moses, who signed with Alabama before a knee injury hindered his NFL hopes, kick-started such a rush to the U-High
campus along with fellow Alabama signees Tim Williams and Christian Harris (now of the Houston Texans). Running back Nick Brossette and Brumfield both signed with LSU, while Jaiden Ausberry went to Notre Dame, while his brother Austin signed with Auburn and is now at LSU.
The temperature surrounding Brown’s recruitment has only risen.
“It’s always a busy couple of weeks when spring starts happening for us,” Martin said. “But it’s fun because we’ve got guys that people are coming to see. You name the school, they showed up. It’s awesome because it allows other guys to be seen also.
“When you have a guy that people are coming to see, they may see this guy or another guy,” Martin said. “It’s been a lot of fun. We had a lot of big-time names on our campus that have come by and watched him and it’s just a fun time. Lamar’s going to be one of the better ones that has come through U-High.”