Johnston City is a small town of just under 3,500 residents along I-57 in far southern Illinois. It's closer to Kentucky than it is St. Louis. There's a McDonald's and a Dairy Queen along Grand Ave., which cuts through the heart of town, but not much else.

College football coaches don't typically pay much attention to Johnston City High School (enrollment: 350). But that has changed this year because of three-star 2022 safety Austin Brown, a Columbus, Ohio, native, that has put his city on the proverbial map.

Brown has collected 17 offers so far, including nine from Power Five programs. His latest one came from Northwestern.