To no one's surprise after he went AWOL from Miami last month, ex-blue chip linebacker and Wichita native Arthur Brown is transferring home to Kansas State, per statements this morning by his father and notorious "adviser," Brian Butler. Brown was the first Kansas prospect ever awarded five stars by Rivals back in 2008, when he joined a horde of local products in a hyped freshman crop in Coral Gables, but his contributions with the Hurricanes were limited mainly to special teams. He immediately joins another prodigal Butler protegé, Oregon transfer Chris Harper, as the most touted member of the Wildcats' roster.

Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise, either, that the Wildcats may be in the running for the second five-star Kansan in Rivals' database, Arthur's little brother Bryce, who, according to the Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury, apparently isn't sold yet on the new regime in Tennessee (emphasis added):

Bryce Brown, Arthur's brother who was the No. 1 player in the nation in 2009, is currently at Tennessee after playing his freshman season for the Volunteers. Sources have told The Mercury that Bryce will wait and see how he fits into coach Derek Dooley's system ... and then will make a decision on whether or not he will remain in Knoxville.

Those may be unnecessary storm clouds (let us sound the obligatory RUMOR alert), but if there is an obvious flight risk on the Vol roster over the transition from the Lane Kiffin administration to Dooley's, Bryce Brown must be it. He strung out his recruitment last spring, testing Miami's patience until the 'Canes essentially dropped him and only latching onto Tennessee at the very end of the process, in large part because of Kiffin's arrival and his reputation in a "pro style" offense. Brown played right away as a freshman behind starter Montario Hardesty, but struggled against SEC defenses, saw diminishing returns late in the season and didn't play at all in the bowl game because of a concussion.

On the other hand, with Hardesty moving on to the NFL and another dire quarterback situation shaping this spring, Brown stands to become the focal point of the Vol offense next year; given his outsized recruiting hype and initial contribution, he's a prime candidate for a breakout, 1,000-yard season in any offense. If there's anything to his restlessness, it seems very unlikely to have anything to do with Derek Dooley.

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Hat tip: CFT