shane connuck
·4 min read
Max Brown’s dad didn’t let him play football until fifth grade.
Despite the fact that Brown’s father, Corey, spent time with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers after playing at Tulsa, he didn’t immediately steer his son toward football. Instead, the lifelong baseball player was traveling to play in soccer games, run in cross-country meets and even participate in Taekwando competitions at a young age.
Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, football became the next sport Brown embraced. He started at running back, but a year later, as a sixth-grader, he got a call asking if he wanted to play some quarterback.
Brown, now a redshirt sophom*ore for the Charlotte 49ers, is set to be his new team’s starting signal caller once its season opens on Aug. 31 against James Madison. He made a start last year at Florida, completing most of his passes in the Gators’ rivalry game against Florida State.
“It was a testament of how important a quarterback is to a university,” Brown said in an interview at Atlantic Athletic Conference media days at the Loews Arlington Hotel. “That was huge for me to be able to understand — especially leaving and hitting the transfer portal a couple weeks after that.
“Coming into Charlotte gave me that perspective of what I need to have, see and continue to do going forward and be able to thrive as a quarterback.”
Charlotte wanted him right away
After accepting the job as the 49ers’ tight ends coach, Tim Brewster’s first flight wasn’t to Charlotte.
The Charlotte 49ers’ new associate head coach had been working alongside Deion Sanders as Colorado’s tight ends coach. Brewster and head coach Biff Poggi knew the quarterback position was at the top of their list, and Brewster booked a flight to Gainesville, Florida.
Brewster, who coached on the Gators’ sideline in 2020 and 2021, picked out Brown right away. In addition to his baseball background and the throws he can make, Brewster could tell that Brown was a true student of the game.
“That’s what separates,” Brewster told The Observer at AAC media days. “I coached in the NFL. I coached at a very high level in college football. That’s what separates players: Their want. Their desire to truly be students of the game.”
Brown is still a baseball guy
Max Brown grew up around athletes.
In addition to his father’s time on NFL teams, Brown’s mother, Karmen, was a dancer at the University of Tulsa. Athletics quickly became the center of his life, and it really wasn’t about one particular sport. He was just having fun learning different games and how his natural skills translated to them, while making friends and meeting different people.
He played baseball throughout high school and was considered a top prospect coming out of Lincoln Christian High in Oklahoma. The sport was one of his first loves at around 4 years old, and he began to play it year-round.
He’s noticed how his baseball skills have translated to football throughout his life. Playing shortstop helped him develop quick feet and become more agile, along with making throws from different angles.
“For me, it was more of the baseball side,” Brown said. “I was watching guys like Matt Kemp, Mike Trout. Baseball guys were kind of my thing. Big (Lionel) Messi guy, growing up playing soccer. I didn’t really get into the football side of it, and then I started watching Russell Wilson, my Cowboys guys are watching Tony Romo and guys like that.”
‘Build something no one’s built before’
Max Brown played in six games for the Florida Gators last year.
He made his debut start against the Seminoles on Nov. 25, 2023, replacing an injured Graham Mertz. Brown went on to complete 9-of-16 passes for 86 yards in a nine-point loss.
He isn’t the only newcomer on Charlotte, which was picked to finish 13th of 14 teams in the AAC. Not only did he notice a strong camaraderie among returning players, but he realized how important that morale is as teams look to become winners.
“The biggest excitement is being able to do something that no one has done before,” Brown said. “With the program being relatively new, especially coming in and wanting to be new to winning, it takes more. The guys have done what it takes throughout the summer to be able to show that they’re ready for what’s at stake.
“We got players on each side of the ball who were already here — and are mentally the same way we are. We want to come in, win games and build something that no one’s built before.”
