Which SEC Team Has Best Odds to Land 5-Star DT Derrick Brown?

Late last month, 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown released his top eight schools in order, with Georgia and Auburn holding down the top spots in his recruitment.

According to Keith Niebuhr of AuburnUndercover, the Bulldogs are still on top, but the 6’4”, 305-pounder is planning to visit Auburn over spring break.

The Bulldogs and the Tigers battled it out for the nation’s top defensive tackle in the 2015 class in Trent Thompson—who ended up staying home and signing with Mark Richt’s club. 

However, can the Tigers turn the tables and lure Brown away from the Peach State? 

Considering the momentum that the Tigers have with new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, it’s a possibility.

Brown told Niebuhr that while he hasn’t built a strong bond with Muschamp yet, he has been communicating frequently with Tigers defensive line coach Rodney Garner. 

“I just like talking to Coach Garner and being able to come down there, watch games and hang out,” Brown said. “It’s a great atmosphere down there. That’s what I like. It’s a small town and it’s a football town.”

Even though he’s still in the process of getting to know Muschamp, Brown admits that the former Florida head coach’s reputation is something that has his attention. 

“I’ve never talked to [Muschamp] on the phone, but my parents have,” Brown said. “My mom and dad like him. Will Muschamp is defense and that’s what I play.”

Even with those positives in Auburn’s favor, at this stage, it’s the Bulldogs that seem to have a commanding lead for the nation’s No. 5 player overall in the 2016 cycle.

Brown took an unofficial visit to Athens earlier this month, and according to Jake Rowe of Dawgs247, he was impressed with what the Bulldogs can offer him on the academic side.

Brown told Rowe:

"

The academic part where I got to meet with the three people from the business school. My mom liked it a lot. She liked how at the Terry Business school the people came over and spent time with us and got to talk to us about stuff other than football. My dad liked that part, too.

"

Rowe also noted that Brown, who plans to decide on national signing day, has plans to visit a handful of other schools in addition to Auburn during his spring break next month.

The Peach State's top prospect in the 2016 class mentioned Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee as other possible destinations during that period. 

While those schools are also in his top eight, they are all chasing the home-standing Bulldogs.

Given that Richt, along with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, have made Brown a top priority, it’s hard to see another team supplanting Georgia from the top of his list on signing day.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.