Recruitment of former UGA commitment Chester Brown ’still open’

Technically, the NCAA recruiting calendar entered the dead period overnight. But the recruitment of Chester Brown is anything but quiet.

Brown, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound offensive lineman from Bradwell Institute and former UGA commitment, took an official visit to Central Florida over the weekend and apparently committed to coach George O’Leary while he was in Orlando. But Bradwell Institute football coach and athletic director Jim Walsh indicated Brown’s recruitment remains a fluid situation.

“I’m not sure of the accuracy of that,” he said of Brown’s UCF commitment. “We’ve had some recent things going on.”

Walsh said some “major schools” entered the picture for Brown over the weekend

“Some of the top SEC and ACC schools called me on Saturday and Sunday,” Walsh said. “I’m actually going to meet with Chester today. We’re going to talk a little and go from there. I would say things are still kind of open.”

Walsh would not say which schools are involved. Most of Georgia’s surrounding state’s have more liberal laws regarding the education of undocumented students and illegal immigrants.

Brown had been committed to UGA since July 15, 2011. But a documentation issue regarding his U.S. citizenship derailed his admission to the state university. Brown, the son of Samoan immigrants who claims to have been born in the U.S., became the victim of a relatively new Board of Regents policy regarding undocumented students. State schools that turn away Georgia residents due to capacity constraints can no longer accept students that can’t prove their U.S. citizenship.

Since news of Brown’s plight broke last week, Walsh said his phone “has been burning up.”

“We’ve had calls from all over the country,” Walsh said. “It’s kind of ridiculous. We’re starting to get now to the point where people are making decisions and some people are losing and some others are gaining. Saturday afternoon and Sunday, my phone has been burning up.”

Meanwhile, Walsh indicated the door isn’t completely shut on Brown attending UGA, his first choice. “Well, we’re constantly working on that,” he said.