Andrew Brown named Gatorade Player of the Year

– Dallas Jackson, NationalHSFootball.com

Chesapeake (Vir.) Oscar Smith defensive tackle Andrew Brown was named the 2013-14 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-3, 298-pound prospect has helped the Tigers to a 14-0 record — good for the No. 13 ranking in the HSFB100 entering this weekend — and a berth in the Division 6 state final against HSFB100 No. 95 Centreville on Saturday.

Brown has totaled 93 tackles entering the state title game. He has added 18 sacks, 31 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles and six fumbles-recovered. He also starts as the left tackle for the team.

He is committed to the University of Virginia and plans to enroll early. He is ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect in the country by Rivals.com.

With the new NCAA rules allowing prospects to sign their academic package early, Cavalier coach Mike London was able to give comment on his soon-to-be-star.

“Andrew is a dynamic player on the defensive side,” London told Rivals.com. “He’s the No. 1 defensive tackle in the country. I know that his ability, his accomplishments, his work ethic, I mean there’s so many different things about him that he brings to the table that makes your football team a better team.

“He’s a big young man, can play inside, can play outside, he’s athletic. I think he’s an immediate pass rushing threat. He’s a run stopper. You don’t want to anoint a high school guy as being ‘the guy.’ He’s still got to go against college-aged offensive linemen but you do look at a skill level and a skill set that this young man possesses that you can see why he’s as good as advertised. And then more than anything else, he’s a great young man. I mean, just character wise, just a great young man. That’s always number one in my book.”

Brown has maintained a weighted GPA of 3.64 in the classroom, is a devoted member of his church community, and he has volunteered locally on behalf of youth football camps.

His impact was noticed by opposing coaches as well.

Suffolk (Vir.) King’s Fork coach Joe Jones spoke glowingly of Brown when he was announced as the state player of the year.

“Andrew Brown makes a big impression,” Jones said. “It’s not often that you see someone that big move that fast. He’s tough, he moves well laterally and he demands double teams. They’ve got a great defense, but he really stands out.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence as well as high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field.

Brown is now a finalist for the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award.

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