Brown is a 175-pound receiver who was polished enough and on a good enough team in Puckett to draw interest from Ole Miss. Then came Hurricane Katrina.
A little over a year later, Brown is one of seven players to make up the University of Montana 2007 recruiting class, which was introduced Wednesday at Adams Center.
And there's the matter of Katrina, which displaced Brown's family, and placed it in UM's recruiting range.
“FEMA put them into Colorado where his family had some times and some roots,” Hauck said. “And that's how we ended up finding him. Had he been in Mississippi it's doubtful we would've found him, or that he would've found us.”
The numbers in the class don't dazzle, but Hauck feels the group is skilled and talented. That includes Jeff Larson, who led Cut Bank to state Class B crowns in basketball (twice) and football. A 2006 greyshirt, Larson became the quarterback - and the first of just two Montanans - for the '07 class.
“A year ago we certainly felt he was a recruitable quarterback,” Hauck said. “Andrew Selle committed to us, but we still wanted Jeff in this program.”
The obvious blue-chipper in the class is offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, who was penciled in as a starting guard for Oklahoma in 2006 before being dismissed for NCAA violations. He landed at Montana, ended up losing a year of eligibility, and got his scholarship this semester. He'll be a junior this fall.
“He earned it last fall, he did a great job and I think he's going to be a great boost to our offensive line,” said Hauck of the 315-pounder, who will likely play center. “He's got the ability to slug it out inside.
“When (playing last fall) didn't happen, he focused in on practicing and getting himself better and helping our team get better. He had a great attitude all fall. I'm really fired to watch him work within our offensive line this spring.”
The Griz signed another offensive lineman in 245-pound David Arndt out of Highlands Ranch, Colo,, and added two cornerbacks in DeAngelo Starr out of Corona, Calif., and Jamaine Olson from Beaverton, Ore.
Olson was literally the last recruit: A presentation to UM's Quarterback Club was delayed because only one of two sheets he was supposed to fax back to Montana on Wednesday came in. Finally the second arrived.
“That would've cut our class by one-seventh,” Hauck said. “We needed to make sure we got that.”
The addition of Olson and Starr would seem to give UM a surplus of corners, but of the six listed on UM's roster for 2006, five - Jimmy Wilson, Chris Clark, Brandon Dwyer, Quinton Jackson and Qwenton Freeman - will be seniors this season.
“A year from today we'll be talking about these guys who are potential starters,” Hauck said, adding that Brown could also play corner, though he's slated to play receiver. “It was important for our depth to recruit some corners.”
The Grizzlies seem well stocked everywhere else, even with the loss of defensive lineman Matt Hustad of Helena, who gave a verbal commitment to UM before deciding to sign with Arizona State. Hauck points to a 2006 class that includes Alex Verlanic, Tyler Hobbs and Carson Bender on the defensive line, and maintains UM got what it wanted.
“You look at the kids in this class, they're all proven winners,” he said.
That brings us back to Brown, who saw just five losses and 43 wins in four years of high-school ball. He visited Montana two weekends ago. He hadn't heard much about the Griz before assistant coach Ty Gregorak called.
“Montana came pulling through and that's what got me interested,” said Brown, who said he was contacted by Wyoming, Colorado State and Colorado. “It was pretty easy for me to make my decision.”
The 175-pounder turns 18 in three weeks, and is mobile in more ways than one. It was roughly a year ago he moved from Mississippi into the Rocky Mountains, mid-blizzard.
“I never saw the grass or the streets for about six weeks,” Brown said. “But I'm pretty much able to adapt to things. I loved it here. Nice place.”
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)