Northwestern football signing day profiles 2016: Jesse Brown

QUICK HITS

POSITION: Running back
HEIGHT: 5-10
WEIGHT: 185
HOMETOWN: Lilburn, Georgia
HIGH SCHOOL: Brookwood
247 COMPOSITE RATING: ★★★ (.8352)
NATIONAL RANK: 1201
POSITION RANK: 28
STATE RANK: 110
OTHER OFFERS: Air Force, Army, Boston College, Furman, Georgia State, Harvard, Iowa, Kansas State, Mercer, N.C. State, Navy, Yale
MORE: 247 Profile | Hudl | Twitter

BACKGROUND

Jesse Brown is a three-star running back from Georgia who was the 15th commit in the Class of 2016 and is one of two running backs in the class. He received offers from Iowa, Harvard and Yale, but chose to go to Northwestern.

Brown has good speed and runs a 4.45 40-yard dash, according to Hudl. His track times are also fairly impressive, as he has an 11.4-second 100-meter time listed on MileSplit.com. Brown is also a competent blocker and is projected to be an all-purpose back who can catch passes, block and run downfield with ease. He's not overpowering, by any means, but his speed makes him useful for any team. For what it's worth, Brown also had a 4.0 GPA in high school, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

OUTLOOK

The one offensive position with real depth for Northwestern is running back, as Justin Jackson, Warren Long, Solomon Vault and Auston Anderson are all returning next season. While Vault will probably transition to receiver, Northwestern will also welcome its highest-rated recruit, Jeremy Larkin, into the fold. Brown's speed, height and north/south running style are reminiscent of Justin Jackson, and he will offer Northwestern some depth next year. However, he is definitely is projected to be, at least, the fourth-string running back heading into 2016.