Bryce Brown
Encyclopedia
Bryce Lee Brown is an American football
running back
. He attended the University of Tennessee
his freshman year, but decided to leave the football program in March 2010. However, Volunteers coach Derek Dooley decided not to release Brown from his scholarship, which means Brown will have to pay his own way at Kansas State University
in 2010 as he sits out due to NCAA transfer rules.
While playing at Wichita High School East
, he won the 2008 Hall Trophy
for the best high school player in the United States
and was ranked atop of the Rivals.com
ranking of his class, the first running back to do so since Adrian Peterson in 2004. In 2008, he was also dubbed the best high school running back prospect of the last five years. In 2008, Rivals.com′s Barry Every compared Brown to Miami Dolphins
player Ronnie Brown
.
National Sophomore of the Year. He amassed more than 50 scholarship offers. He wore #24 in his Freshman and Sophomore seasons.
During his junior year, Brown rushed for 1,825 yards on 207 carries (8.8 avg) and 23 touchdowns, earning him All-City and All-State honors. He wore #5 in his Junior year. He was also recognized as a member of the Kansas “Fab 11” and was the lone junior that was named a USA Today
Prep All-American. For his senior season, he wore #11 in honor of his brother, Arthur Brown
. Tom Lemming of CSTV considered Brown to be better than all of the 2008 running back crop (which includes Darrell Scott
and Jermie Calhoun
). Brown is believed to be the top running back prospect from Kansas since Barry Sanders
.
Arthur Brown committed to the University of Miami
in December 2007, which led to rumors whether Bryce may complete his high school in Coral Gables, Florida
, since their mother once told USA Today
that Bryce “is wanting to go to high school wherever Arthur chooses to go to college.” Bryce Brown, however, eventually decided to remain in Wichita for his senior season.
In October 2008, Brown was selected to the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
. Brown finished the 2008 season with a Wichita City League regular-season record 1,873 yards rushing, giving him 7,209 rushing yards overall, also a City League record. He was named to the USA Today All-USA First Team for the second successive time.
. Butler sold updates of Brown's recruitment via website for $9.99 a month or $59 a year and sought contributions that he says are used to take players on a tour of colleges each summer. At one point, Butler announced Brown was considering entering the Canadian Football League
(CFL), but Brown backed down from that claim. As a result of Butler's handling, the National Collegiate Athletic Association
’s amateurism certification staff launched an investigation to determine whether anything has been done anything to jeopardize Brown's amateur status.. The NCAA's investigation eventually cleared Brown to play before the start of his freshman season.
On February 22, 2008, Brown chose to follow his brother and orally committed to the University of Miami
. However, Brown did not sign a letter of intent on National Signing Day
2009, but instead planned to announce his decision on March 16, naming five other "finalists" despite his oral commitment to Miami: LSU
, Tennessee, Oregon
, USC
, and Kansas State
. Said ESPN.com
′s Tom Luginbill
: “If I was Randy Shannon
and the Miami staff, I would tell the kid and Brian Butler to go jump in a lake. I got to imagine that deep down, Miami's coaches have to be thinking, ‘This is getting ridiculous.’” Prior to his announcement, Brown paid official visits to Oregon and Clemson
, and finally took an impromptu visit to Tennessee on March 13.
Citing an anonymous source, the Associated Press
reported the University of Miami would not reissue a national letter of intent to Brown to replace the one that expired Wednesday, February 18. Brown's advisor Brian Butler told AP he was unaware those scholarship offers have an expiration date, but reiterated that Brown would not sign until March 16. According to Palm Beach Post′s Jorge Milian UM coach Shannon called Brown on Tuesday, February 17, and allegedly told him the University of Miami was no longer interested in his services. However, Brown later told Wichita Eagle that Shannon still wanted him to be a Hurricane. Due to NCAA rules, Shannon was not allowed to comment.
On March 16, 2009, Brown announced at a press conference at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita, Kansas, that he will attend the University of Tennessee
. "I feel that's the school that's gonna prepare me the best to go to the next level," Brown said at the press conference.
Brown spent the season as a backup to senior Montario Hardesty
. Brown finished the season with 460 yards rushing, second on the team behind Hardesty. He also had three rushing touchdowns.
On the first day of Tennessee's 2010 spring practice, Brown announced his decision to leave the program. Volunteers' coach Derek Dooley said that Brown will remain enrolled at Tennessee for the rest of the spring semester but did not indicate if he would then transfer. His brother Arthur
recently transferred from the University of Miami
to Kansas State University
and on August 15, 2010, Brown decided to join his brother at Kansas State.
Brown, along with his brother Arthur, were named in a report from Yahoo! Sports
alleging that student-athletes, coaches and administrators were aware and received impermissible benefits from an ex-booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro
. "Kansas State University has been in communication with the NCAA," the university said in a release. "Regarding Arthur Brown and Bryce Brown, the NCAA staff has informed the institution that it has no concerns about their eligibility to compete at K-State.
"
is a former Detroit Lions
player.
His older brother Arthur is a former five-star linebacker recruit and currently attends Kansas State University. According to Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com
, the Browns were the first brothers ever to be both ranked five-star recruits.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
. He attended the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
his freshman year, but decided to leave the football program in March 2010. However, Volunteers coach Derek Dooley decided not to release Brown from his scholarship, which means Brown will have to pay his own way at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
in 2010 as he sits out due to NCAA transfer rules.
While playing at Wichita High School East
Wichita High School East
Wichita High School East, known locally as East, is a public, co-educational secondary school located near the center of Wichita, Kansas With a student population of 2,200, it is the largest high school in the state. Originally known as Wichita High School, East was the first of eight traditional...
, he won the 2008 Hall Trophy
Hall Trophy
The Hall Trophy has been awarded annually since 2000 to the most outstanding high school football player in the United States, comparable to the Heisman Trophy for collegiate football players. The award is named after Ken “Sugarland Express” Hall, the all-time leading rusher in high school...
for the best high school player in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was ranked atop of the Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
ranking of his class, the first running back to do so since Adrian Peterson in 2004. In 2008, he was also dubbed the best high school running back prospect of the last five years. In 2008, Rivals.com′s Barry Every compared Brown to Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
player Ronnie Brown
Ronnie Brown
Ronnie G. Brown, Jr. is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn University to play college football for the Auburn Tigers...
.
High school career
Brown has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.32 seconds. A First Team All-Wichita selection as a freshman, he rushed for 1,472 yards and 12 TDs. He followed that up with an even more impressive sophomore campaign, rushing for 2,039 yards and 26 TDs. Brown was a consensus First Team All-State selection as well as EA SportsEA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
National Sophomore of the Year. He amassed more than 50 scholarship offers. He wore #24 in his Freshman and Sophomore seasons.
During his junior year, Brown rushed for 1,825 yards on 207 carries (8.8 avg) and 23 touchdowns, earning him All-City and All-State honors. He wore #5 in his Junior year. He was also recognized as a member of the Kansas “Fab 11” and was the lone junior that was named a USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
Prep All-American. For his senior season, he wore #11 in honor of his brother, Arthur Brown
Arthur Brown (American football)
Arthur Brown, Jr. is an American football player. He currently attends Kansas State University, where he transferred after playing for the University of Miami until the 2009 season.-High school career:...
. Tom Lemming of CSTV considered Brown to be better than all of the 2008 running back crop (which includes Darrell Scott
Darrell Scott (American football)
Darrell Scott is an American football running back. He currently attends the University of South Florida, where he redshirted the 2010 college football season after having transferred from the University of Colorado. Scott attended St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California...
and Jermie Calhoun
Jermie Calhoun
Jermie Calhoun is an American football running back. He currently attends the University of Oklahoma in his junior year. Calhoun was considered one of the best running back prospects of his high school class.- High school career :...
). Brown is believed to be the top running back prospect from Kansas since Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
.
Arthur Brown committed to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in December 2007, which led to rumors whether Bryce may complete his high school in Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
, since their mother once told USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
that Bryce “is wanting to go to high school wherever Arthur chooses to go to college.” Bryce Brown, however, eventually decided to remain in Wichita for his senior season.
In October 2008, Brown was selected to the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
. Brown finished the 2008 season with a Wichita City League regular-season record 1,873 yards rushing, giving him 7,209 rushing yards overall, also a City League record. He was named to the USA Today All-USA First Team for the second successive time.
Recruiting
His workouts, recruiting and news media requests are handled by Brian Butler, a former felon who identifies himself as Brown's trainer and handlerTalent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
. Butler sold updates of Brown's recruitment via website for $9.99 a month or $59 a year and sought contributions that he says are used to take players on a tour of colleges each summer. At one point, Butler announced Brown was considering entering the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL), but Brown backed down from that claim. As a result of Butler's handling, the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
’s amateurism certification staff launched an investigation to determine whether anything has been done anything to jeopardize Brown's amateur status.. The NCAA's investigation eventually cleared Brown to play before the start of his freshman season.
On February 22, 2008, Brown chose to follow his brother and orally committed to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. However, Brown did not sign a letter of intent on National Signing Day
National Signing Day
National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for...
2009, but instead planned to announce his decision on March 16, naming five other "finalists" despite his oral commitment to Miami: LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, Tennessee, Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, and Kansas State
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
. Said ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
′s Tom Luginbill
Tom Luginbill
Tom Luginbill is a college football analyst for ESPN. Luginbill grew up in Tempe, Arizona and San Diego. He is the son of the professional and college coach Al Luginbill.-Playing career:...
: “If I was Randy Shannon
Randy Shannon
Randy Lennard Shannon is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010. Shannon played football at Miami and then with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL....
and the Miami staff, I would tell the kid and Brian Butler to go jump in a lake. I got to imagine that deep down, Miami's coaches have to be thinking, ‘This is getting ridiculous.’” Prior to his announcement, Brown paid official visits to Oregon and Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, and finally took an impromptu visit to Tennessee on March 13.
Citing an anonymous source, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported the University of Miami would not reissue a national letter of intent to Brown to replace the one that expired Wednesday, February 18. Brown's advisor Brian Butler told AP he was unaware those scholarship offers have an expiration date, but reiterated that Brown would not sign until March 16. According to Palm Beach Post′s Jorge Milian UM coach Shannon called Brown on Tuesday, February 17, and allegedly told him the University of Miami was no longer interested in his services. However, Brown later told Wichita Eagle that Shannon still wanted him to be a Hurricane. Due to NCAA rules, Shannon was not allowed to comment.
On March 16, 2009, Brown announced at a press conference at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita, Kansas, that he will attend the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. "I feel that's the school that's gonna prepare me the best to go to the next level," Brown said at the press conference.
College career
Entering college with an enormous amount of hype, Brown was expected to see considerable playing time during his true freshman year and spent the 2009 season in the top two running back rotation. His amateur status was under investigation by the NCAA prior to the season, but Brown was cleared only a few days later.Brown spent the season as a backup to senior Montario Hardesty
Montario Hardesty
-External links:* *...
. Brown finished the season with 460 yards rushing, second on the team behind Hardesty. He also had three rushing touchdowns.
On the first day of Tennessee's 2010 spring practice, Brown announced his decision to leave the program. Volunteers' coach Derek Dooley said that Brown will remain enrolled at Tennessee for the rest of the spring semester but did not indicate if he would then transfer. His brother Arthur
Arthur Brown (American football)
Arthur Brown, Jr. is an American football player. He currently attends Kansas State University, where he transferred after playing for the University of Miami until the 2009 season.-High school career:...
recently transferred from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
to Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
and on August 15, 2010, Brown decided to join his brother at Kansas State.
Brown, along with his brother Arthur, were named in a report from Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports was launched on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc., employs various writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American sport...
alleging that student-athletes, coaches and administrators were aware and received impermissible benefits from an ex-booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro
Nevin Shapiro
Nevin Shapiro is a former University of Miami football booster who is currently imprisoned for orchestrating a $930 million Ponzi scheme. According to interviews, he engaged in rampant violations of NCAA rules over eight years as a booster for University of Miami athletes...
. "Kansas State University has been in communication with the NCAA," the university said in a release. "Regarding Arthur Brown and Bryce Brown, the NCAA staff has informed the institution that it has no concerns about their eligibility to compete at K-State.
"
Personal
Bryce is the son of Arthur Sr. and Lelonnie Brown. His uncle Lawrence PeteLawrence Pete
Lawrence Pete is a former American football nose tackle. He played five in the NFL for the Detroit Lions who selected him with the 115th pick in the 1989 NFL Draft...
is a former Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
player.
His older brother Arthur is a former five-star linebacker recruit and currently attends Kansas State University. According to Jeremy Crabtree of Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, the Browns were the first brothers ever to be both ranked five-star recruits.