Offers coming in for New Palestine's Brown

At 6-foot-4-inches, it is easy to see why New Palestine High School defensive end/tight end Matthew Brown is getting offers. There is a lot of potential inside that frame and his height alone will bring college coaches to New Palestine, Indiana. However, once they arrive, they quickly find out the rising senior has plenty of skill from the defensive end position to go along with his height and weight. As a result, six offers have come in from the likes of Navy, Army, Air Force, Indiana State, Illinois State and Western Illinois. Not bad considering New Palestine, like the rest of the world, has found itself in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The recruiting process has obviously changed in the midst of the global pandemic. My whole class has been affected by this. It’s been a lot slower and coaches are offering kids without ever meeting them in person,” Brown told Sideline Prep Sports Report. As for an early favorite, Brown admits he is intrigued by the service academies. “If you look past the football aspect in college, you will see that these schools will set you up best for life,” Brown said. Brown enters the 2020 season as Indiana’s back-to-back defending Class 5A state champion with his New Palestine teammates. A year ago, the Dragons, who are coached by Kyle Ralph, upended Valparaiso 27-20 in front of over 19,000 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In that game, Brown joined fellow defensive end Kyle King, who is playing at Michigan State, harassing Valpo quarterback CJ Opperman. It has been that way since 2018 when Brown got his chance to debut on the defensive side of the football against Michigan City. “I ended up starting at defensive end that week, opposite side of Kyle King. And, it’s really history from there. I’ve been playing defensive end ever since and have really never looked back,” Brown said. As for a three-peat, the Dragons have several holes to fill on both sides of the pigskin, but Brown is confident, telling Sideline Prep Sports Report that this year is “huge” for his class. “We could do something that no other class at New Palestine High School has ever done. Winning three state championships in a row would just mean to the world to us. So if there was an ultimate goal for this season, that would definitely be it,” Brown said.