THE RECRUITING GUY

Ashdown's Brown slows it down; 5 visits planned

Ashdown safety Montaric Brown poses for a photo at the All Arkansas Camp at War Memorial Stadium on June 5.

Ashdown safety Montaric Brown won't make his college decision later this month like originally planned.

"I'm going to push it back," said Brown, who is being sought by Arkansas.

Brown, 6-1, 180, 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, narrowed his list to Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Auburn and LSU on June 30. He had planned to announce his decision July 6, but pushed it back to this later this month, before reconsidering again.

"I was just thinking of committing and getting the recruiting process over with, but I talked to my family and they told me don't rush it," Brown said. "Take your time because I'm going to decide where I'll be the next four years."

Brown said he plans to make an unofficial visit to Alabama on Thursday and mentioned another visit to Fayetteville also was a possibility, but both trips are now unlikely. Brown said he plans to take official visits during the season before making a decision.

"I know I'm taking Arkansas, Bama and Oklahoma State for sure," Brown said. "I'll probably take Auburn since I haven't been there and another trip to LSU."

He has visited Fayetteville three times, March 5, April 22-23 and for the Hogs' three-day camp on June 19-21. He also attended the Hogs' June 5 satellite camp in Little Rock.

Brown and Ashdown participated in the storm-shortened Garrett Uekman 7-on-7 tournament at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Friday.

He recorded 112 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 8 pass deflections, a forced fumble and 5 interceptions with 3 returned for touchdowns during his junior season at Ashdown.

ESPN rates him the No. 11 safety and the nation's No. 180 overall prospect.

He initially planned to announce his college decision Aug. 24, his birthday. Arkansas reached out to Brown when he said he was going to make his choice on July 6.

"They hit me up and they asked me why did I do it," he said. "They were asking me questions about it, and why did I decide to commit this month."

Brown said the weight of the recruiting process prompted him to think about making a commitment earlier in the month.

"There's a lot of pressure," Brown said. "I just had it on heavy my mind at one point and I just wanted to get it over with."

Razorbacks fans in Ashdown are hoping Brown stays in-state.

"I get a lot of pressure from fans because a lot of people from Arkansas because people from my hometown want me to go to Arkansas," Brown said.

LINEMAN TO VISIT

Arkansas will host junior college defensive end Michael Taylor for an official visit this week and he could become a late addition to the 2016 class.

Taylor, 6-3, 248, 4.6, of Riverside City College in California has about nine scholarship offers from schools like Utah State, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Wyoming. He also is drawing interest from UCLA and Southern Cal.

Taylor is expected to arrive in Fayetteville on Wednesday and leave Friday.

His college journey started when he signed a track scholarship to run the 110-meter hurdles at North Carolina Central out of The First Academy in Orlando, Fla., in 2014.

He recorded 14.4 seconds in the hurdles while weighing 220 pounds. He redshirted in football before leaving after the first semester to enroll at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. That's where he met Arkansas senior receiver Dominique Reed.

Taylor left Coffeyville for Riverside, where he recorded 50 tackles, 4 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in 11 games this last season.

He could enroll at Arkansas and play this fall, with three years of eligibility, if some classes from North Carolina Central are accepted by Riverside.

"If everything went right that would be the plan to come in this fall," Taylor said of Arkansas.

Defensive line coach Rory Segrest has been in contact with Taylor.

"They like my speed, they like my hustle, my motor," Taylor said. "I try to disrupt plays and just really try and help the team."

If Riverside doesn't accept the classes, Taylor will graduate in December and enroll at his new school in January. If the trip to Fayetteville goes well, he could announce his pledge to the Hogs.

"Yeah, I think there's a chance," Taylor said. "I think there's a good chance."

Taylor said is looking forward to getting to a four year school and adding about 10 to 15 pounds.

"When you live the juco life, it's hard to maintain or gain weight because you pay for every meal, you're commuting, you're working because I have a job and I go to school," he said.

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 07/17/2016