Mississippi State football lands 3-star receiver Justin Brown, who is ready for Air Raid

Cecil Joyce
Murfreesboro Daily News Journal

Justin Brown is a fan of Mississippi State's Air Raid offense.

He wants to be part of it.

That was a major reason why Blackman's 3-star receiver chose the Bulldogs, committing to Mississippi State on Friday.

"I think I would fit in well in their Air Raid offense," said Brown, of a Bulldog offense that averaged 29 points and 378 passing yards a game last season. "I think I'll get plenty of opportunities. I feel like it was the best fit for me.

"It's closer to home and it's the SEC. That's big time."

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The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Brown is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 17 player in Tennessee and the No. 64 wide receiver nationally in the 2023 class. 

He ascended the rankings after a breakout junior season with the Blaze under first-year coach Chandler Tygard. Brown had 1,144 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021.

Mississippi State went 7-6 last season under Mike Leach, who is entering his third season with the Bulldogs.

He narrowed his choices to five — Mississippi State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue and West Virginia — in June.

The Boilermakers were frontrunners at one point and Penn State was also in the mix, but a pair of unofficial visits to Starkville in June and July turned the tables for Brown.

"It was a tough decision," said Brown, whose last visit was to Penn State last weekend. "That's why I kept pushing it (commitment) back. It was hard to decide, then I was talking to family and felt like Mississippi State was the right decision."

What about Mississippi State influenced Brown's decision?

"The facilities are nice, but if you go to a Power 5 school, the facilities are going to be nice," Brown said. "The education is amazing. Everything around there was nice. I like how (campus) was spaced out, but it's still easy to get from class to class or facility to facility. 

Blackman's Justin Brown looks upfield after making a reception during Tuesday's scrimmage vs. Lebanon.

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"The contact (inside receivers coach Drew Hollingshead and special teams coordinator Eric Mele) had with me was amazing. That was a big reason too. They were telling me how well I would fit into the offense and how I could play both inside and outside. They think they can use me in many different ways."

Brown had several other Power-5 offers, including Tennessee, Miami, Ole Miss, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Colorado, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Kansas.

As for the Vols, Brown said their recruitment faded later in the process.

"They were on me for a good minute," Brown said. "Then we just lost contact. I just moved on from them."

Brown hopes and expects to make an early impact at Mississippi State.

"I feel like they can develop me and push me to be better," Brown said. "I'm willing to play outside or inside, which is another reason I like them."

Brown plans on studying business at Mississippi State and took a tour of the university's business school on one of his visits. 

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.