Texas Top CB Schedules Visit With Texas

From the very beginning of the recruiting process, North Mesquite (Texas) cornerback Tarell Brown has made it crystal clear that the two schools that have stood out in his mind from the beginning are Texas and Florida State.

With possibly one visit left before he makes a final decision, it appears that those two schools will battle it out for the right to sign one of the nation's premier talents.

The 5-11, 178-pound Brown visited Tallahassee this past weekend and admitted that the trip was everything that he'd hope it would be.

"It was great," Brown said. "It's always been a dream of mine to visit there. Ever since I first started playing, I've wanted to be recruited by Florida State and a lot of people told me that it would never happen. Well, no matter what my decision is, I know that I at least got to take a visit."

So, what stood out the most on his visit?

"Just the tradition that Florida State has," Brown replied when asked the question. "That and being able to talk with Bobby Bowden."

Now that he's visited Florida State, Brown might need only one more visit before he's ready to think about making a decision.

"I'm going to visit Texas next weekend (December 13th) and that might be it," Brown said. "I'm not sure though. I might still take a another visit, possibly to Tennessee or Florida."

While Brown isn't scheduled to take any visits this weekend, his day planner remains full, as coaches from across the country have been penciled in for in-home visits. Among the schools that have visits scheduled with Brown are Texas, Penn State, Florida and Florida State.

In fact, Texas assistant coach Hardee McCrary met with Brown on Monday afternoon.

"It's always great to talk with Coach McCrary," Brown said. "Plus, I talked with Mack (Brown), which was great as usual. They have always been straight up with me. They've told me that if I come in with the proper mindset, then I will play as a freshman. They have been straight up with me and told me that it's up to me."

One school that might be slipping a bit on Brown's list is Texas A&M.

Just several weeks ago, the Aggies made a sharp move towards the top of Brown's list after he took an official visit on the weekend of A&M's upset of top-ranked Oklahoma.

However, with the news this week of RC Slocum's dismissal from the team and the uncertainty of who the new coach will be and which assistants might be let go, Brown acknowledged that A&M's in a tough spot.

"My relationship with Coach Grimes is great," Brown said. "I've always listed them because they were one of the first schools to offer me a scholarship and regardless of their record, I always remembered that. It's going to be tough. I'm not saying that I'm going to take them off my list, but it's going to be tough."

Regardless of what happens, Brown maintained that he'd like to maintain a relationship with the coaches that he's gotten to know over the last couple of years.

"Hopefully, we can stay in touch," Brown said.