How Wisconsin landed 3-star safety Austin Brown and why he could play right away

Publish date: 2024-05-08

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard stood inside the McClain Center answering questions on signing day last December about his lone 2022 class scholarship safety signee, when he lightheartedly but firmly put an end to a line of questioning about the position Austin Brown would wind up playing for the Badgers.

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Brown, a two-time all-state player in Illinois, had been an offensive force for Johnston City High School as a running quarterback, tailback and wide receiver. He had amassed 2,439 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns over his last two seasons, showing the type of athleticism that could make him a viable candidate to transition to offense in college, as Braelon Allen did for Wisconsin months earlier during his freshman season.

Leonhard was having none of it.

“He’s a damn safety,” Leonhard said. “Quit. Just stop. He’s talented enough. But we don’t need to go that route again.”

Given how much Brown — a freshman who enrolled in school this month — can help Wisconsin defensively, it’s understandable why Leonhard sees so much value in keeping him on the back end of the Badgers’ defense. Brown was a heat-seeking missile who delivered big hits and big plays, finishing his senior season with 87 tackles, eight pass breakups and five interceptions. His importance for Wisconsin could be even more pronounced next season because of a general lack of depth and experience at safety.

“He’s very aggressive, very physical and can cover a lot of ground,” Johnston City High football coach Todd Thomas said. “He’s a kid you come across his ability once in a lifetime, especially as a small-school coach. If anybody knows anything about safety, if you just saw him standing there or out on a football field, you’d say, ‘That kid’s a safety.’”

Brown was a highly coveted prep prospect who earned 21 scholarship offers, including from seven Big Ten programs. He used all five of his official visits last June on Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan, Boston College and Illinois. Even the way some of those schools viewed his potential highlighted the versatility he provides.

He said Boston College wanted him to play linebacker. Michigan was interested in Brown as a hybrid rover who could play safety and linebacker like All-American Jabrill Peppers once did for the Wolverines. Brown, listed at 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, said Northwestern also wanted to use him as a hybrid type of defensive player in the box as a linebacker and at safety. But Brown was most interested in sticking with safety, which was something Wisconsin offered.

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“I really like safety,” Brown said. “I played a lot of offense in high school. I feel like if I can just really focus on the safety position, I can excel even more in that. And I didn’t want someone to eventually get to the point where I’m playing in the box more and they’re like, ‘We want you to put on some size and play linebacker.’ I’d rather play a position I’m more familiar with.”

Filling the right position was only one key factor in Brown ultimately committing to and signing with Wisconsin. He said another appealing aspect of Wisconsin’s program was the stability of the coaching staff. Paul Chryst is set to enter his eighth season as the head coach, and Leonhard will be the defensive coordinator for a sixth season. Both coaches were former Badgers players, which also excited Brown.

“A lot of other schools tended to have a rotation of coaches,” Brown said. “They’ll leave. Stay for two years, a year or so and they’ll leave. It was always coaches (rotating) in and out. But at Wisconsin, the coaches have been there for years. They’ve established themselves there for quite a while. And then a few of the coaches on the coaching staff are alumni from there. So it just showed to me that there’s something about Wisconsin that draws people back and they like staying there. That’s something I was really looking into, stability, and they checked that mark.”

Brown said his relationship with Leonhard, whom he called “the best defensive coordinator in college football,” was critical. He admired the way Leonhard rose from a small town in Tony, Wis. (population 117) to become a three-time All-American safety at Wisconsin and a 10-year NFL veteran. Brown’s hometown has a listed population of 3,414 people.

“Just to see him have that chip on his shoulder and be able to have success in college and the NFL really drew me to that,” Brown said. “And just every time he talks, I learn something new from him. He knows the defense in and out. It’ll be an honor to learn a lot from him.”

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One of the reasons Leonhard said he was so intrigued by Brown on defense was because of what he showed on offense. Brown was his team’s starting quarterback as a sophomore and junior, and he demonstrated a vast knowledge base while operating out of a spread offense.

“That’s a big piece to me of safety, especially with what we do, is football IQ and being able to see the game,” Leonhard said. “To me, as a quarterback, you have to be able to communicate. You have to be able to see kind of big picture and understand big picture and go make plays, being a leader in that huddle every single play and showing up every day and being that guy.

“So that was kind of the first thing that popped out was when he was on the offensive side of the ball and just how he ran the ball, the physicality, the ability to stick his foot in the ground. Then the more you watched, you see the defense and obviously transitioning more to that athlete role on offense playing running back and receiver but still patrolling the middle of the field for them. Just a ton of plays. The highlight just keeps going on and on. It’s really cool to see.”

Leonhard certainly wasn’t the only Badgers coach impressed with Brown’s film. Brown’s playmaking ability and confidence also stood out to wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted.

“I personally have a man crush on Austin Brown,” Whitted said. “Coach Leonhard knows that, but I’m not going to speak on that much more. Phenomenal athlete. But an even more phenomenal person. When you engage with that kid, he’s what you want here. He’s part of what this culture is all about. I’m excited for Jimmy and his side of the ball to have him. He’s a good one. He’s special.”

True freshmen have shown in recent years they can immediately make an impact at Wisconsin and lay the groundwork for productive careers. Inside linebacker Leo Chenal and nose guard Keeanu Benton became rotation regulars in 2019. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig and receiver Chimere Dike were key contributors in 2020. Could Brown be on a similar trajectory? That remains to be seen, but he enters Wisconsin’s program at a time in which adding quality at safety is critical.

Wisconsin exited spring practice with just two healthy scholarship safeties in fifth-year senior John Torchio and sophomore Hunter Wohler. Travian Blaylock, a fifth-year senior and projected starter, suffered a right leg injury during spring practice that a school official recently confirmed was a torn ACL.

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The Badgers added an experienced playmaker during the offseason by grabbing Utah safety Kamo’i Latu from the transfer portal. Latu played in all 14 games for Utah last season and earned Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Week honors in a game against USC. But the rest of Wisconsin’s roster at safety has no game experience and includes five walk-ons, which could give Brown an opening if he impresses during fall camp. Blaylock was the team’s fourth safety last season and played 140 defensive snaps. Wohler, the fifth safety, played 70 snaps.

Leonhard was asked during spring practice whether Brown could be used earlier than anticipated given the depth issues at safety.

“He’s strong, he can move,” Leonhard said. “A little different situation than Hunter walking in with four-year, three-year starters, a really experienced group in front of him. I think he’s going to have an opportunity to compete for sure. And I think physically he’s put himself in the position that he’s not going to stick out (in a bad way). He’s going to be a guy ready to physically compete.

“How fast can we get him there mentally? That’ll be the big challenge. And can we get him playing fast? But it’s a little bit different situation with the depth to where you say it’s much more real, much more urgent than maybe it was last year for Hunter.”

Brown said Sean Snee, Wisconsin’s director of football strength and conditioning, gave the incoming recruits a weight lifting program in January that Brown followed seriously over the next five months before enrolling at Wisconsin. Brown worked on his lower body on Mondays and Thursdays and his upper body on Tuesdays and Fridays. He used Wednesday as a recovery day for yoga, the hot tub or stretching.

He said his 225-pound bench press increased from three during last football season to 12 and that his squat was up to 430 pounds. All that work left Brown feeling as though he would give himself a chance to earn playing time as a freshman this fall.

“I’m the strongest I’ve ever been,” Brown said. “I weigh more. I’m as fast as I’ve ever been. Physically, people tell me all the time. I don’t think I looked too bad back then. But people tell me I look a lot more cut up, more bulky since football season ended. That’s always good to hear. I just feel more athletic than I’ve ever felt before, more explosive.”

(Top photo courtesy of Austin Brown)

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