Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown made a decision a month ago that still has local media members shocked: he chose to leave the Cal Golden Bears for the Weber State Wildcats, instead of a Columbus return, the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers, the Boston College Eagles, the BYU Cougars, and the Washington Huskies.
Deseret's Doug Robinson still sounds shocked, even if he revealed that Brown chose Weber State because of the Wildcats' new head coach, Eric Kjar, Brown's former high school coach with the Corner Canyon Chargers; seemingly an understandable reason.
"Devin Brown, a former backup quarterback at Ohio State and Cal, has done the unthinkable in this era of NIL riches. Brown had offers from big-time football schools. Indiana wanted him to compete for the starting job vacated by the Heisman Trophy winner. Boston College wanted him as a potential starter. Ohio State wanted him to return as a backup. BYU wanted him as a backup. There were other suitors, Washington among them. Some were offering Brown NIL deals worth $800,000," Robinson wrote.
"He turned them down. He chose Weber State. He chose an FCS school with a 17,000-seat stadium. He chose a huge pay cut. He chose $2,000 instead of $800,000. What Brown really chose, over money and prestige, was Kjar, his former high school coach."
Brown made a portal play that, on the surface, seems like a step back in his collegiate career. Truthfully, if his time in Ogen, Utah, goes as planned, he may not have set himself back from any opportunities that would've been available at the aforementioned Power 4 programs he spurned during the January transfer window.
Devin Brown can still get on NFL draft radar from the FCS ranks
Brown can still find his way into the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl from the Big Sky Conference. Division II players end up in those exhibitions, and some even end up in the NFL, like Tyson Bagent from the Shepherd Rams in 2023, who's now a member of the Chicago Bears. There's no reason Brown can't find himself competing for NFL looks next February after a strong season in Division I-AA football.
If Brown can flash the looks of an NFL QB, scouts won't forget his experience at Cal and Ohio State. With the Buckeyes, Brown won a championship and played behind Will Howard and in front of Julian Sayin.
We'll see what the Wildcats' opponents, which includes Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes, can do to slow down Brown this fall as he finally gets his chance to be a starting QB.