Tulsa Player to Watch, Day 11: DeAundre Brown

Oklahoma Sports brings you the 11th day in a 15-part series detailing what players to keep an eye on next season.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:31 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Player to Watch, Day 11: DeAundre Brown

Originally Published: Feb 25, 2010 4:27 PM CDT

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Andrew Topps
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

Bandit DeAundre Brown

Background:

Brown is a hybrid safety/linebacker in Tulsa’s 3-3-5 defense. He led the Golden Hurricane in tackles with 102 last season and played in all 12 games. He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2008.

Why He’s on the List:

TU lost four of its five starters in its defensive backfield from a season ago. Brown is the only full-time starter that returns.

Best Case Scenario:

Brown has produced enough on the field to become a team leader after the void left by graduation. He has the experience to not only make plays, but become the quarterback of the secondary and set the defensive coverage. If Brown can have another 100+ tackle season it will go a long way in solidifying his role as a leader.

Worst Case Scenario:

It is good and bad Brown had a 100-tackle season. If a safety is leading the team in tackles that means the defense is getting burned by the pass or gashed by the run. Tulsa ranked 85th in the nation in total defense in 2009, as the Golden Hurricane had a hard time stopping anybody on defense. A repeat performance might mean TU has not been able to fix its defensive problems and could lead to an added burden on Brown.

My Take:

He has the credentials not only to become the secondary’s leader but a team leader. The Golden Hurricane lost a lot on the defensive side of the ball, but that unit was not very successful in 2009, so a big turnover might be what the doctor ordered.

Other Tulsa players to watch (click the names below to read the full stories)
Day 1: QB G.J. Kinne
Day 2: WR/KR Damaris Johnson
Day 3: LB Tanner Antle
Day 4: WR Trae Johnson
Day 5: OL Brandon Thomas
Day 6: Jake Alexander
Day 7: John Flanders
Day 8: Thomas Roberson
Day 9: Shavodrick Beaver
Day 10: Jameel Owens