Harrisburg OL Kevin Brown details his decision to commit to Penn State: ‘I want to be a leader in our class’
Penn State picked up arguably its biggest commitment of the summer this past Saturday with the addition of elite offensive tackle prospect Kevin Brown. Despite being a 2026 prospect, Brown has been a popular recruit among the fans for months now.
Not only does he reside in nearby Harrisburg, Pa., but Brown has the potential to be not just a five-star prospect but maybe the best offensive lineman to come out of the area in a long time. And yes, I’m including former Wyomissing five-star J’ven Williams in that discussion. That’s how high Brown’s potential is.
Leading up to his decision, many wondered if Penn State would be able to keep the Central Pennsylvania native at home. But as Brown explained to BWI’s Ryan Snyder this afternoon, he never wanted to leave the area. Add in the hot start that that James Franklin and his staff are on in the class and there was no reason for Brown to drag this out.
Fans can read Monday’s Q&A with Brown below.
Snyder: Why was now the right time to make this decision? You have over a year to go until you can sign and a ton of offers. Were you already getting worn out from all the calls and visits? Or was Penn State just well ahead of everyone else?
Brown: Yeah, it was a mix of both, honestly. I did want to get it over with, but also, Penn State had it all, plus it’s the closet school. So, I didn’t feel like delaying it any longer. I knew what I wanted to do. Also, I feel like, because I’m committed now, I want to be a leader in our class. Between myself, plus our quarterback from California [Troy Huhn], Messiah [Mickens] and our new wide receiver commit [Jahsiear Rogers], that’s going to get more guys to check Penn State out. That helps us be leaders in this class and I want to do that.
Snyder: When you talk about being a leader, how involved do you plan to be when it comes to recruiting?
Brown: Yeah, I definitely plan to start building relationships with these guys. They’re good football players and I want to play with them. I’ll do whatever we have to do to build the best class we can.
Snyder: How long were you thinking about making this decision? You’ve never been into taking all the visits like some other guys do. Have you been aiming to end this for a few weeks now?
Brown: Honestly, I’ve been talking to Messiah about it ever since he came to Harrisburg. Just getting his view on it, plus talking to Elias [Coke] and [D’antae] Sheffey, I’d say it’s been a few weeks now that I’ve been ready to commit.
Snyder: What did Penn State do to separate themselves then? I know proximity to home was big, but was there anything in particular about Penn State that stood out when compared to the other big programs you saw?
Brown: I would start with their nutrition program and how in-depth that is. Also, just the way their players love their coaches. It was just different. Also, the atmosphere [in Beaver Stadium] is crazy.
Snyder: I want to follow up on Penn State’s nutrition program. You saw some elite programs. What separated Penn State when it came to that?
Brown: Just the research they put into it. Of course, all of these Division I Power Five programs have a lot of the same stuff. It’s always been an arms race to get the best, but Penn State has top-tier nutrition. They have labs where they track their players. The weight room is incredible. They track their players’ movement on different cameras and stuff. It was just different than anything I’ve seen all over the nation.
Snyder: Were there one or two other schools that you really thought about before committing to Penn State? Or did PSU always have a substantial edge?
Brown: I would say they had a leg up on everyone because of how close they are and how much my family means to me. Having them be able to come down to every game and be able to watch me practice and whatnot, that was important.
But also, with all of these different coaches, I loved the guys who recruited me. The Wisconsin O-line coach and guys like Joe Rudolph at Notre Dame. The Georgia and Alabama coaches are great. I really like all of those guys, but Penn State also has everything they have, plus it’s an hour-and-a-half away.
Snyder: Coach Franklin and Coach Trautwein. What do you like about them and how they went about recruiting you?
Brown: Coach Trautwein has always been kind of hands-off, which I appreciate. He never wanted to be too much and needy. He took a more laid-back approach, which is what I really liked. I appreciate the way he recruited me. Coach Franklin is the best head coach in college football, in my opinion. I love him. I love that I’m going to get to play for him.
Snyder: Did you know Messiah at all before he got to Harrisburg? You guys seem to have a strong relationship nowadays. Is that fairly new?
Brown: No, I didn’t really know him until he came to Harrisburg. I got to know him a little bit last year just because he was committed to Penn State, but that was really it. But he definitely had a huge impact. Being able to talk to him about how they do things up there and how they treat things differently than some other schools was cool.
Snyder: Now that the season is starting up, what are you working on the most currently to improve? I know you’re a technician. You’re ahead of the game compared to most guys in that department. When I’m watching you this year, where are you working to improve?
Brown: All-around, of course, but also, mainly defense this year. I care a lot about offense, too, but last year I only started seven games at defensive end. I want to really improve on that and have a big impact for our team. But also, on offense, you can never be perfect as an offensive lineman. There are a lot of things I can work on, especially the little things, like hip flexion and keeping a 90-degree bend in my legs. I don’t want to be too high. Just all of those little things. That’s all important to me.
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