As a redshirt freshman, Brown was backing up one of the best to ever play. Jevon Kearse, a.k.a. The Freak, was the starter at Sam linebacker and would move to a rush end on third down passing plays.
Brown backed him up and had two sacks, 1.5 against FSU.
When Kearse declared for the NFL, Spurrier wanted to move Brown to defensive end permanently.
“Coach Spurrier remembered when I was playing scout team as a redshirt and I was playing Andre Wadsworth in practice leading up to the 1997 game,” Brown said. “He knew I could do it.
“But I didn’t want to play that position. I was going to transfer (this was before the portal). I went to his office to tell him.”
Spurrier and Alex talked for 15 minutes and then the HBC called James Brown, Alex’s father, and handed the phone to him.
“My dad said, ‘Do you remember Coach Spurrier sitting in our living room and you told him you would do whatever you could to help the team?’ “ Brown said. “And then he hung up the phone.”
So, it was settled.
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