Film Room: Jayvant Brown

Throughout the years under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has consistently delivered one National Signing Day surprise. That again happened in the 2023 cycle when Michigan State decommit Jayvant Brown signed with the Wildcats on Wednesday.

The Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas linebacker has played for multiple high schools in South Florida and has seen some major recruiting interest throughout his prep career. The four-star prospect took unofficial visits to Alabama and LSU over the summer before committing to Michigan State in November. However, that commitment was short-lived.

Jayvant Brown decommitted from the Spartans on Sunday and signed with Kentucky on Wednesday. Now it’s time to see what this prospect is bringing to the table as a potential Mike linebacker that plays with good instincts inside the box and provides sure tackling.

Let’s roll the tape.

For any prospect that plays off-ball linebacker at a high level, there is a big mental aspect to the game. Much of it is instinctual. Players must be able to read and react very quickly to make plays. If you can’t process quickly, things can get ugly.

Jayvant Brown has no issues with deciphering and triggering downhill.

Playing stand-up Sam linebacker to the strong side of the formation for St. Thomas Aquinas, Brown shows good instincts both in the run and the pass game. The linebacker is able to move through traffic, avoid blocks, and make tackles. Having this type of movement ability at linebacker is half the battle.

Jayvant Brown has the instincts and quick agility to be a productive player at linebacker.

Being able to play through traffic with instincts is key, but linebackers must also be able to make stops in space. Jayvant Brown can do that.

As the quarterback gets into scramble mode, the linebacker plays under control. Brown takes on a block, disengages, and arrives violently to the ball carrier to record an open-field tackle. On tape, the defender is comfortable playing both in a crowd and in space.

Speaking of diagnosing, burst and closing speed in short areas are also needed. Jayvant Brown is able to recognize and get downhill quickly.

The linebacker reads and triggers downhill before flashing some closing burst. Brown then finishes the play with a wrap-and-drag tackle. Kentucky’s latest linebacker checks some key boxes needed to succeed at the position.

Kentucky fully addresses linebacker in the class of 2023

In the short term, Kentucky is in a good spot at linebacker. Both Jacquez Jones and DeAndre Square are departing after the season, but D’Eryk Jackson and Trevin Wallace are stepping into full-time roles as juniors after starting for the last month of the season.

However, depth needed to be added.

Kentucky first addressed this spot by landing a commitment from four-star prospect Grant Godfrey in August. However, the prospect feels better suited to play Kentucky’s Will position. The Cats needed a player who could take over the Mike role and play in the middle of the box. That has been found in South Florida.

The Wildcats have recorded their first recruiting win in this fertile area since the 2020 cycle (Sam Anaele) as Jayvant Brown appears to have the required skill set that UK needs in the middle of its defense. The top-500 recruit shows good instincts in the box, does a solid job of avoiding blockers and is a solid wrap-and-drag tackler. The latest signee looks a bit undersized on tape, but size is not everything at this position.

Kentucky got a surprise late recruiting win beating out Michigan State for the four-star prospect. Now Brown will arrive in Lexington with a chance to push for snaps as a depth piece as Mike Stoops begins stacking his linebacker room with recruits he helped evaluate.