Georgia Pass Rusher Talks Pitt Recruitment

Among the Pitt Panthers 2026 edge board is Lawrence Brown Jr. out of Grayson High School.

Brown Jr. is in the next annual crop of Power Four recruits out of Grayson, a school located in Gwinnett County between Atlanta and Athens. Some of the prominent former prospects on the alumni list are Clemson running back Phil Mafah, former first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche, Arizona Cardinals linebacker Owen Pappoe, and Georgia Tech running back Jamal Haynes.

As a junior in 2024, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge recorded 30 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and six sacks while facing some of the top talent in the state of Georgia. Brown Jr. is a lean and athletic pass rusher built on speed and finesse but with plenty of physicality baked into his game.

To learn more about Brown Jr. and his recruitment, Inside the Panthers connected with him on Monday.

Tell me about your background.

So, a little bit about me. Originally, (I'm) from Dallas, Texas, moved down when I was about three, but always kept that, you know, Texas high school football with us. Dad went to North Shore. Mom went to Lancaster. So, really just having that rich culture of football. Bounced between football and basketball up until my junior year when I decided to stick to football due to success the previous sophomore year at Tri-Cities (High School). Ever since, I felt like it was the best decision I made.

So, you're at Grayson in Georgia and your parents went to North Shore and Lancaster. All three are recruiting goldmines. How has your transfer to Grayson impacted you?

Things have been great. I mean, our coach teaches more than just football. He teaches like a standard, and he teaches us how to be dominant on the field, how to lead on and off the field.

Can you tell me about Pitt recruiting you?

Pitt is doing a good job recruiting me. I have the head coach's phone number. He texts pretty often, is pretty adamant about me getting down there. So, they're definitely on my board to go down this April. They actually just sent me some mail today, which I really appreciate, just goes to show how much love they're showing me from Pennsylvania down to Atlanta.

What are your thoughts on whoever you've spoken with so far from Pitt?

I spoke with the O-Line coach. Uou can tell that there's culture there. You can tell they love to win, especially with the really good season they came from last year). It's just that desire for more. That's a program I can see myself playing for.

You're a very athletic weak-side edge player but with your agility, I could almost see you playing some outside 'backer, maybe a hybrid role. What are your thoughts on your position fit at the next level?

Honestly, I like pass rushing. So, what you said before with the weak side edge. Also, I like all elements of surprise, so you can have me primarily as a pass rusher, but sometimes I can get into coverage.

Sometimes I can cover, sometimes we can play games, do some stunts. Maybe I'm the inside guy coming in. It may be a lot this season you'll see me head up on the center at a zero technique on pass rush. So, just playing around, I feel like with my size, speed and ability, that I'm not just limited to just one side of the field. I can be all over the field.

This off-season, do you have plans to visit other schools or are you more so focused on your senior season or is it a bit of both?

I would say a bit of both. There's a few schools that have reached out that I'm going to go visit during the spring, some being North Carolina and NC State and South Florida. But, really, it's all about preparing for next season. I kind of figured that recruiting will kind of handle itself, but at the same time, I am paying attention and getting able to see what schools are doing and how I can be a part of those schools the following year.

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