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Where is Bryce Brown? 'As of now,' not on Tennessee's roster
By Matt Hinton
Don't feign surprise, Vol fans: You were duly warned when the Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury suggested earlier this month that former No. 1 running back recruit Bryce Brown might be planning to follow his brother Arthur to Kansas State rather than return to Knoxville to play for new coach Derek Dooley. At that point, according to an anonymous source, Bryce was going to "wait and see how he fits into ... Dooley's system."
Anyone who followed Brown's soap-operatic recruitment last year might have guessed then where that rumor was going. But just to make it official, Tennessee opened spring practice today, and Bryce Brown wasn't there:
The former No. 1 recruit in the country was a no-show as UT took the field under Dooley for the first time on Thursday afternoon, one day after the new coach indicated Brown hadn't approached him about possibly leaving the program.
"As of now he's not a part of the team," Dooley said.
No word out of Knoxville or Brown's native Kansas on the cause of the sophomore-to-be's unplanned absence, or, assuming he's all but finished as a Volunteer, his immediate plans. Again, though, no surprises: Tennessee knew perfectly well it was risking a colossal flake-out when its last new coach, Lane Kiffin, improbably plucked Brown from the clutches of virtually every major program in the country almost exactly a year ago this week. Brown -- like his brother, who signed with Miami as a sought-after, five-star linebacker recruit out of Wichita in 2008-- was the star protegé of a sketchy "mentor" type straight from central sleaze casting, Brian Butler, who advised Bryce right out of his longstanding commitment to join Arthur in Miami (the Hurricanes essentially dropped the younger Brown when he strung out his official decision well beyond the conventional signing day) and into the arms of a brash young scofflaw who had never coached a game as a college head coach and who would be off to his next job in less than a year.
It was like a match made in flake heaven -- Tennessee wasn't even on Bryce Brown's radar until Kiffin arrived at the last minute with his reputation for a "pro style" offense. When Kiffin suddenly bolted in January for his "dream job" at USC, the clock began ticking more loudly for Brown than for any other player on the roster; his brother's decision to leave Miami for KSU was only the spark that lit the fuse. Today, that fuse has apparently burned out as the Dooley era begins in earnest, and the entire episode has blown up in Tennessee's face.
Dooley's language ("as of now ...") does leave the door open to the possibility that Brown will be a part of the team again sometime in the future. Without more specific information or a more firm dismissal, nothing can be ruled out entirely. At this point, though, I don't think I'm reaching to assume most Tennessee fans are wondering why they'd still want him.
[UPDATE, 9:42 p.m. ET] The Associated Press says Brown has left the team, apparently for good:
Dooley said Brown told him Thursday that he was dealing with family and personal problems that included "some of the reasons why he came here." Brown was not present for practice.
"I was a little surprised, but you can only control what you can control," Dooley said. "He went through the entire offseason, but I also think that this wasn't something from the last three weeks. But I'm not here to recruit. I'm here to coach."
Dooley said Brown will finish the semester at Tennessee, but whatever "family and personal problems" have made football an afterthought remain a mystery. This story will have some legs over the next few months.
By Matt Hinton
Don't feign surprise, Vol fans: You were duly warned when the Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury suggested earlier this month that former No. 1 running back recruit Bryce Brown might be planning to follow his brother Arthur to Kansas State rather than return to Knoxville to play for new coach Derek Dooley. At that point, according to an anonymous source, Bryce was going to "wait and see how he fits into ... Dooley's system."
Anyone who followed Brown's soap-operatic recruitment last year might have guessed then where that rumor was going. But just to make it official, Tennessee opened spring practice today, and Bryce Brown wasn't there:
The former No. 1 recruit in the country was a no-show as UT took the field under Dooley for the first time on Thursday afternoon, one day after the new coach indicated Brown hadn't approached him about possibly leaving the program.
"As of now he's not a part of the team," Dooley said.
No word out of Knoxville or Brown's native Kansas on the cause of the sophomore-to-be's unplanned absence, or, assuming he's all but finished as a Volunteer, his immediate plans. Again, though, no surprises: Tennessee knew perfectly well it was risking a colossal flake-out when its last new coach, Lane Kiffin, improbably plucked Brown from the clutches of virtually every major program in the country almost exactly a year ago this week. Brown -- like his brother, who signed with Miami as a sought-after, five-star linebacker recruit out of Wichita in 2008-- was the star protegé of a sketchy "mentor" type straight from central sleaze casting, Brian Butler, who advised Bryce right out of his longstanding commitment to join Arthur in Miami (the Hurricanes essentially dropped the younger Brown when he strung out his official decision well beyond the conventional signing day) and into the arms of a brash young scofflaw who had never coached a game as a college head coach and who would be off to his next job in less than a year.
It was like a match made in flake heaven -- Tennessee wasn't even on Bryce Brown's radar until Kiffin arrived at the last minute with his reputation for a "pro style" offense. When Kiffin suddenly bolted in January for his "dream job" at USC, the clock began ticking more loudly for Brown than for any other player on the roster; his brother's decision to leave Miami for KSU was only the spark that lit the fuse. Today, that fuse has apparently burned out as the Dooley era begins in earnest, and the entire episode has blown up in Tennessee's face.
Dooley's language ("as of now ...") does leave the door open to the possibility that Brown will be a part of the team again sometime in the future. Without more specific information or a more firm dismissal, nothing can be ruled out entirely. At this point, though, I don't think I'm reaching to assume most Tennessee fans are wondering why they'd still want him.
[UPDATE, 9:42 p.m. ET] The Associated Press says Brown has left the team, apparently for good:
Dooley said Brown told him Thursday that he was dealing with family and personal problems that included "some of the reasons why he came here." Brown was not present for practice.
"I was a little surprised, but you can only control what you can control," Dooley said. "He went through the entire offseason, but I also think that this wasn't something from the last three weeks. But I'm not here to recruit. I'm here to coach."
Dooley said Brown will finish the semester at Tennessee, but whatever "family and personal problems" have made football an afterthought remain a mystery. This story will have some legs over the next few months.
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