2017 Game Program Senior Feature: Drew Brown

Having grown up in a family like Drew Brown’s, there is no wonder that the Southlake, Texas, native chose to come to Nebraska – it was in his blood.

The senior place-kicker is the brother of former Husker and NFL kicker Kris Brown, so expectations were always sky-high for the younger sibling. However, Drew understood that he had his work cut out for him and that nothing was ever guaranteed without putting in the work.

“I had to get to the point where I was good enough to play here at a level like this,” Brown said. “Once I realized that potential, it was up to me to be able to work hard and achieve the opportunity to play and start here for four years.”

With the history tied to his name and all of the hype that came with him when he entered the program, Brown believes that his family was not only his main motivation, but also the main reason he was able to stay grounded and keep a level head.

“I set the goal for myself to be able to come close to, if not surpass what Kris achieved,” Brown said. “It’s a great motivator, and I don’t think I would be where I am today without my family just being there for support.”

Earlier this season, Brown became the third Husker to make 50 career field goals. He also is responsible for setting the Nebraska freshman scoring record with 101 points in 2014 and the sophomore record for field goals with 21 in 2015.

Having earned all-conference honors each of the past two years, Brown is a contender for the 2017 Lou Groza Award, the honor given to the nation’s best place-kicker. Brown is also in play for a variety of conference and national accolades, and he could not be more humbled by all of his achievements.

But to Brown, the biggest honor was the opportunity to play for his dream school. After he graduates, there are a lot of things about Nebraska he is grateful for that he will miss.

“The atmosphere of being a player on game days, running out of the tunnel, just being able to wear that ‘N’ on my helmet, it means the world to me,” Brown said. “It was a dream come true. The first game I ever played, I was star struck by all the fans in the stadium. It has been such a blessing to be able to play at a place like this with so much history and tradition.”

After college, Brown looks to pursue his dream of kicking at the professional level, but he understands that football is not forever, and he is excited for whatever the future may hold for him.

“Whether football continues for me or not, I am going to try that and we will see what happens,” Brown said. “Hopefully I can keep doing that for as long as I can, but whenever that is over I am going to go into the business world, and I am going to get a job and have a family. It’s going to be great.”