As a quarterback out of Rolesville High School near Raleigh, USF quarterback Byrum Brown didn't appear on many of the college football recruiting lists, where the number of stars by a player's name can cause observers to hyperventilate.
So, there was a collective yawn when Brown signed to USF, one of only three Division-I scholarship offers he received. However, once he got on the field for the Bulls, that's when the stars that count came out, and all the schools that ignored him learned the error of their ways.
After Brown put on a show and threw four TDs against his Charlotte 49ers last November in a 48-14 USF win, head coach Biff Poggi openly expressed amazement that the previous coaching staff there hadn’t recruited such a talent right under their nose.
But even after Brown's spectacular 2023 season, during which he set USF records for passing yards (3,292 yards) and TD passes (26) and tied a school record with five TD passes at Memphis, he didn't receive any post-season American Athletic Conference honors—not even an honorable mention.
Finally, however, someone outside of Fowler Avenue seems to have taken notice. On Monday,
Brown became only the third quarterback in USF history named to the preseason Maxwell Award watch list. The award, which was established in 1937, is given to the college football player of the year.
The other Bulls’ quarterbacks named to the prestigious list were Matt Grothe in 2007 and Quinton Flowers in 2017.
Memphis’ senior quarterback Seth Hennigan was the only other American Athletic Conference member to make the list. And former USF quarterback Jordan McCloud, now with Texas State, was also selected.
He wasn’t just a passer, though. He led USF with 809 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He joined Heisman Trophy-winning QB Jayden Daniels of LSU as the only FBS players with more than 3,000 passing yards and at least 800 rushing yards.
"He sets the tone for toughness, for attitude and for effort within our program — and our defensive players will tell you that we go as he goes as a football team,'' Bulls head coach Alex Golesh said of Brown at last week’s AAC football media days. "I think the future is bright with him in charge.''
Golesh lavished praise on Brown’s demeanor, leadership, and work ethic since the end of last season. Rather than rest on the success of his first year as a full-time starter, Golesh said Brown has worked hard to improve his body and his game, spending every free hour at the USF football facility.
You might think Brown would feel slighted by the lack of post-season awards, but that's not the kind of person USF players and coaches know him to be. They say the only kind of affirmation Brown wants is the kind that shows up in the “win” column.
In other words, don't complain about stuff like that. Just beat 'em.