National Signing Day 2017: Welcome to Penn State, Journey Brown

The culmination of the recruiting season is here, as National Signing Day 2017 is finally upon it. Here at Black Shoe Diaries, we’ll have coverage throughout the day of Penn State’s recruiting class, taking a player-by-player look at each member of the class, and taking a bigger picture look at the class as a whole. Thanks for stopping by, and if you aren’t already following, please follow @BSDTweet on Twitter for more recruiting news and notes.

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After rushing for more than over 7,000 yards in high school, James Franklin and Penn State believes they found a diamond in the rough with Journey Brown. The northwestern Pennsylvania product wasn’t a highly-recruited prospect, but his numbers speak for themselves.

Highlights

Scouting Report

You can’t talk about Brown without starting and ending with his speed. Legitimate sub-4.45 kid who can absolutely fly. From the moment he steps on campus, Brown will be one of the five fastest players at Penn State, if not the fastest. Toss in that he’s 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, and has a near 40 inch vertical, and it’s clear to see why Franklin offered Brown. The measurables and athleticism are there.

Outlook

With all of the running backs returning, Brown will most likely get the redshirt. Down the road, he provides quite a bit of versatility. Obviously as a straight running back, but he should also be a feature player in special teams, and could even be a kid who could land at wide receiver, safety, or corner — a Nick Scott-esque player isn’t a bad comparison for Brown.