4-Star Mekhi Brown Ends Recruitment, Confirms He Will Sign with Alabama

Four-star Alabama commit Mekhi Brown, an athletic defensive end from Columbus, Georgia, has ended his recruitment and pledged 100 percent to sign with the Crimson Tide.

Brown took a trip to Notre Dame in October, to Louisville in January and was scheduled to visit LSU this weekend, but he reneged on the Tigers Wednesday and finalized his commitment:

Brown is the No. 114 overall player and No. 6 weak-side defensive end in the 2015 class, per the 247Sports composite rankings. He is 6'4.5", 222 pounds and has the length and speed to play either defensive end or outside linebacker (or both).

ESPN Scouts Inc. broke down his strengths and weaknesses:

"

STRENGTHS: Disruptive, high-cut, up-field defender with a valued hybrid skill set. Displays very good upper and lower body strength for his tall, lengthy frame. Shows good open field speed and initial burst to the ball to cause disruption. Demonstrates good recognition skills and a feel for blocking schemes. A nice square-up tackler in space. Turns the corner well and is an impressive speed rusher with a long wingspan to create havoc.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Technique versus the run needs further development. Lacks great leverage and lead in his anchor. Tweener DE/OLB and scheme may dictate success at next level.

BOTTOM LINE: Brown is a versatile and physical player at DE with 3-4 OLB potential. Technique requires polish and bulk and strength are needed as a pure college DE prospect, but he possesses a lot of tools to develop within the right defensive scheme.

"

Brown is part of a stacked Alabama recruiting class that ranks No. 1 in the country on the 247Sports team rankings. The Tide have 26 committed players, 10 of whom rank higher than Brown.

For context, No. 9 Notre Dame has 22 committed players, four of whom higher than Brown; No. 10 LSU has 18 committed players, five of whom rank higher than Brown; and No. 26 Louisville has 24 committed players, none of whom rank higher than Brown.

He would have meant more to each of their respective classes.

Credit: 247Sports

But embarrassments of riches are the norm at Alabama. Nick Saban has signed the No. 1 class in the country in each of the past four seasons, and with players like Brown securing their commitments, he is on his way to making it a clean half-decade.

Florida State and USC are the only teams with a semi-realistic chance to catch him—and "semi-realistic" might even be a stretch.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeigh35