Derrick Brown goes down to the final minute

BUFORD -- Derrick Brown's time had finally run out.

And he had let the clock run to the final second, making his decision only the night before his signing, according to his mother, Martha Brown. With the price sticker still on the bottom of the bill of his hat, Brown lifted the hat from underneath the table and placed the Auburn hat on top of his head.

Naming Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi State as his finalists, the 6-foot-4, 317-pound defensive tackle visited SEC rivals Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee the three weekends leading up to Wednesday. He remained quiet about which programs he had narrowed his list to.

"Most guys really wait this long for the hoopla," said Lanier head coach Korey Mobbs, who coached Brown, with defensive coordinator David Willingham, to 106 total tackles his senior season. "(Derrick) waited this long to make sure he was making the right decision. His senior season was because he blocked out all of the recruiting stuff and played for his teammates."

Unlike the others in his recruiting class, Brown let ESPN handle the show that has become signing day. He didn't do the skydiving, as per Deontay Anderson of Mississippi, although it was "the coolest thing (he has) ever seen in his life."

Derek Jeter didn't make it to his signing, like he did Michigan's, but the Lanier media center was filled -- and loud -- for Brown and four other students' signings.

Instead of planning something big, he needed the time to sift through his rolodex of SEC options, only a small representation of his 26 total offers.

He painted on a game face as he took he time through the recruiting process, even after Kirby Smart visited him the week before signing day, touching down in a helicopter to the senior. Smart missed out on his homegrown superstar, but as Mobbs' pointed out, Brown's originally from Mississippi.

"Long time ago I got some wise advice," Brown said. "To make my decision and don't worry about making anybody upset. You've got make the decision yourself."

He was courted and watched for months, until finally pegging his relationship with the Auburn coaching staff as "excellent." And despite those three offensive touchdowns, including the catch in the corner of the end zone in his highlight reel from high school football, Brown said he will be on the defensive line.

According to Brown, after months of anticipation, he "created one of (his) dreams" Wednesday: signing with teammate, Ashton Barnes, who will attend the Air Force to play football in the fall, on ESPN.

"We've been growing up buddies since almost day one," Barnes said. "It's a blessing to see how far he's come and for him to be able to go to Auburn. It's been our dream to sign together and make it to the big stage."

Brown certainly is not rushing out of Buford and into the lights of Jordan-Hare any time soon. As was the recruiting process, the next step is on Brown's time. And right now, it's basketball season.

"I'm ready to go make a run for the state championship now," Brown said.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Derrick Brown goes down to the final minute ."