Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel can be improved, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.
Latest Commit: Cody Brown, RB
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 225 pounds
School: Parkview (Georgia)
Home Town: Lilburn, GA
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 124 overall, No. 9 RB
247Sports: No. 138 overall, No. 9 RB
Rivals: 5.9 rating, No. 69 overall, No. 5 RB
Notable Offers: Georgia, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Ohio State
What we like:
For Vol fans concerned with Tennessee not having a true bruising, short-down yardage back, look no further than Cody Brown. He’s a tough-as-nails runner with exceptional strength who is a tackle-breaking machine. Defenders feel every bit of his 6-foot, 225-pound body when they try to bring him down, and he’s an aggressive downhill runner. Brown is already built like an SEC running back and has a stout lower body that can give him a good burst and allows him to churn through contact. He’s not going to blow anyone away with his speed, but that doesn’t mean he’s slow; Brown can hit the hole quickly and is a bit faster than you might expect. His stiff arm puts defenders on the ground, and you can tell he excels in shot put and discuss on the track team. He’s also more evasive than you’d expect, showing off some good footwork along with his power running ability.
Brown hasn’t just done his damage against weak competition, though; he’s been racking up yards and touchdowns against teams in one of the highest classifications of football in the state of Georgia. He was named the 7-A Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He torched Harrison Bailey’s Marietta squad for 197 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Parkview’s final game of the 2019 season.
Places to improve:
While Brown’s lack of top-end speed doesn’t affect him too much in high school, it could limit his explosiveness in college. He won’t be able to outrun many defensive backs in the SEC, though he can certainly bowl over them or evade them. Though it’s not on his film, I would assume thanks to his stature and strength that Brown is a good pass blocker, but I’d like to see how he holds up there, too.
Analysis:
Brown is strong, physical, and almost never goes down on first contact. He reminds me a bit of a shorter and not quite as explosive version of Jalen Hurd, and the way he runs and how strong he is should help him see the field pretty early in his career. The Vols’ running back room will be interesting to figure out in 2021 and moving forward because Tennessee has a lot of projected running backs who could also move to other positions. Brown is an exceptional athlete who has a nose for the end zone, and I think it’ll be hard to keep him off the field once he arrives at UT.
