Brown a big addition to Owls' future

July 6, 2008

Brown a big addition to Owls' future

Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer

Talk about it in the Message Boards
Temple head coach Al Golden quite literally added a big piece to the future of his defensive line with the recent verbal commitment of 6-foot-3, 325-pound defensive tackle Levi Brown.

Brown, who plays at Bethlehem's Liberty High School, had garnered interest from programs like West Virginia, Syracuse, Connecticut and Michigan State.

In the end, Brown felt Temple was the best choice.

"I feel like Temple is a good fit for me," Brown told OwlScoop.com. "It's close to home, and I feel comfortable there. They are definitely a program on the rise, and I want to be a part of that."

After Brown attended Temple's Junior Day June 14, he canceled visits to West Virginia and Syracuse when he decided he wanted to play for the Owls.

"The only thing I really remember is that it was hot," Brown said of his Junior Day visit. "It was really hot, but the campus was a lot nicer than I expected."

Brown also will have a friendly face to look forward to when he arrives at Temple. Brown's high school teammate, running back Ahkeem Smith, signed with the Owls as part of head coach Al Golden's 2008 recruiting class.

"Ahkeem being there will help me," Brown said. "It's going to be nice going to college and having a close friend there I could talk to."

With Brown's body being as big as it already is, he does not fall into the category of other young players who have to grow into their position. Rather, Brown already has the body to play on a college defensive line.

The key now is to get it fine tuned for the next level.

"I think I can come in and make an impact right away as a freshman," Brown said. "I'd like to get faster, but I'm bigger than basically every lineman that lines up against me (in high school) and I look to take advantage of that on every play."

Brown picked Temple over some very prestigious programs because he believes that with Golden, Temple is onto something big. The Owls already boast the top overall defense in the Mid-American Conference.

"I just want to win," Brown said. "I like what Golden is about. He wants to win just like me. Temple's defense looked good last year and will continue to get better. I'm definitely going to be put into a good situation."