Fast and fearless: Meet Bernard Brown

Photo courtesy of Bernard Brown

In 2008, a senior from East Carolina University blazed a record-setting 4.24-second finish in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. It was one of those perplexing things in sports that, while certainly notable, seemed nothing more than some nice numbers on a sheet of paper at the time. The kid’s speed turned enough heads to get him drafted 24th overall, but then the young running back did something every front office dreams of — he delivered.

Chris Johnson justified his first-round draft status by earning a pro-bowl bid his rookie season, then became one of six players to ever break the 2,000-yard rushing barrier and earned the NFL’s offensive player of the year award in just his second year in the league.

The ripple effect caused by Johnson’s immediate success sparked draft board alterations by scouts who suddenly valued speed above all other attributes. Football is about more than just an impressive 40-yard dash, but how fast does an athlete have to be before they just can’t be ignored?

Bernard Brown aims to find out.

Brown, a sophomore wideout at Shasta College in Redding, California, has spent his summer trying to get noticed — and he’s making a strong case. Brown runs a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and jumps a 35-inch vertical, but the knock on him from coaches seems to be his size. While shorter wide receivers tend to be the exception rather than the rule, Brown simply won’t let his 5-foot-9-inch, 160-pound frame stop him.

“Basically, I’ve been self-recruiting since I was in high school,” Brown said. “I always self-recruit, because I was always told that you can’t put your dreams in another man’s hands, go get it yourself.”

With a handful of schools already on his radar, Brown has his sights set on Utah State and the Mountain West.

Denied by numerous coaches on account of his height and led on by others who often tell recruits “just what they want to hear,” Brown’s genuine determination is unyielding. His childhood reads like something from a movie script, an inspiring story about a scrappy underdog who follows his passion against all odds. But the stark reality of it all makes Brown’s belief in himself understandable — why would he stop now after coming so far?

“It was hard growing up,” Brown said. “Mother’s a single mother raising five kids in a single-bedroom home, sleeping in one bed growing up. My older brother, he was in the military so I ended up moving in with him and he ended up taking in with me, and leading me to the right path. Where I’m from? It’s dangerous where I’m from. Lotta killin’ and shootin’ and stuff going on down there. My mom didn’t want me getting into all that.”

After starting youth football alongside his twin brother Brandon at age nine, it didn’t take long for Brown to decide what kind of player he aspired to be.

“Growing up I looked up to Devin Hester,” Brown said. “I always wanted to be a receiver and a kick returner because I just thought ‘that’s my specialty’, and I knew I could make plays there.”

If the idea of a diminutive speedster from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, returning kicks in an Aggie uniform has a strangely familiar feel to it, it’s because that same description applies to former first-team all-Mountain West return specialist Bruce “Jojo” Natson, who was dismissed before his senior season for repeated violations of team rules. Natson provided USU’s special teams with an explosive punch for three seasons — despite being no more than a 5-foot-7, 151-pound blur.

“Jojo, he’s from where I’m from down in that area,” Bernard said. “He was ballin’ when he was there, and I know I can ball too.”

Though primarily used as a dangerous punt returner, Natson also snagged more than 1,000 receiving yards over the course of his Aggie career, providing some evidence suggesting compact playmakers can be unique weapons on the field.

Brandon, a defensive back for the Shasta Knights, believes his twin’s stature doesn’t hold him back.

“He plays like the biggest guy on the field,” Brandon said. “The whole size thing, I think it gives him a chip on his shoulder. He’ll hop right up after a big hit like ‘oh hell that was nothing.’”

Photo courtesy of Bernard Brown

Bernard insisted he’ll make plays wherever he plays.

“They put me on kick return I’ll make plays,” he said. “Punt return, I’ll make plays. Receiver, slot, outside — I’ve been doing it all my life. When coaches talk about size, I’m like ‘I don’t care, I can move as fast as those 6’4 players you know? He’s just taller, what’s the difference?’”

Easily the smallest member of USU’s 2014 squad, the key to Natson’s success at Utah State – and occasionally cause for panic among Aggie fans – was his fearless approach to turning upfield and somehow hitting another gear to escape holes as they closed.

“One thing that stands out is Brown’s speed,” said Gio Perez, who coached Brown during the one year he played at Everett Junior College in Washington. “You can’t coach speed.”

Other uncoachable qualities seem to surface anytime someone talks about Brown. Coach Perez mentions his willingness to be a good teammate and ability to overcome adversity. Brandon talks about his brother being a humble kid, driven by positivity even in bad situations.

“People see the good that happens on the football field, but they don’t see the struggle,” Brandon said. “Sleeping in garages, not eating at night, we just keep that to ourselves. After all the shit we went through he just keeps pushing, stays positive to get to a better position.”

Cliche though it may sound, it’s Brown’s unwillingness to quit that’s brought him to where he is now — breaking Shasta’s single-game receiving yards record, updating his online scouting profile and buying a ticket to Salt Lake City to find his way up into an FBS roster. Despite arriving in Salt Lake without cleats to play in and being forced to hitch a ride to camp, Brown’s never been the type to define himself by what he lacks.

“The process, it’s hard,” Brown said. “You’ve got some coaches telling you I guess what you just want to hear. I was supposed to get offers from a couple schools, but nobody came through. When I get up there, I’m gonna give it my all when I go to camp, I’m gonna be holding nothing back at all because this is something I’ve always wanted.”

Brown can think of at least seven different Division I coaches who discussed making him an offer before going silent.

“Despite everything, he’s still chasing his dream,” Perez said. “Anytime you fly from Florida to Washington to play football, that’s dedicated. A lot of young men would’ve quit by now.”

Brown now stands alongside Chris Johnson’s 40 time as another one of those perplexing things in sports. Odds are not favorable on Brown becoming the next CJ2K, and his numbers on paper are still only numbers. There will yet be coaches who tell him there isn’t room for a small guy on the roster. There will probably be more weekends spent hitchhiking to camps and borrowing cleats.

That’s probably not going to change his mind.

“The football field, that’s like another home for him,” Brandon said. “All he’s about is football. That’s what he really wants to do. Just put the ball in his hands.”