Senior defensive back, Qua Brown, has been  named to one of the Football Championship Subdivision’s most prestigious award watchlists. The Buck Buchanan award.

Brown was named on the Buck Buchanan award watch list on Aug. 5,  along with 34 other defensive players in the FCS. Brown is one of twelve defensive backs to be named to the watch list. The award will be given to the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS at the end of the season.

Brown reflected upon his journey from a redshirt freshman, up to now as a possible Buchanan award winner with high hopes for the NFL.

“It was a humbling experience for me to know and understand that there actually is a lot of work for me to get to as a player, to get better and get exactly where I felt I could be at,” Brown said. “To finally see things making a turn right now and going the way I imagined it a long time ago is pretty humbling.”

Brown, while happy with the recognition, said there is plenty of room for improvement within his game.

“When I saw that I thought it was pretty cool or whatever, but I still feel like there’s a lot I need to get better at as a player. I know there’s a lot of improvement as far as my game,” he said.

Brown said  he can do a lot more to put the team’s offense in better spots to put points on the board.

“I want to make more plays and get more interceptions. I just want to have an even bigger impact defensively and give us a better chance to have a better field position for our offense and just have even more production and consistency as a player,” he said.

Brown attributed a lot of his successes to his mentor, Jason Petrino, the Saluki football team’s defensive coordinator. .

“Ever since he came in, [he] told me how much he believed in me and the type of player I could be in this program and that he would put in the work and do everything to push me to be that player,” Brown said.

Brown credits Petrino as being a large part of how he got to this point.

“He’s made a huge impact in my life as a player and increasing my confidence as a player on the field and challenging me, which has helped me get to where I am now. He’s a huge part in my success for sure,” Brown said

Petrino attributes Brown’s skillsets for being name to the watch list

“He’s a great fundamental tackler,” Petrino said. “He understands quarterback progressions and where the ball is anticipated to go based on coverages and gives those clues to teammates on the field”.

One thing seemed to stick out in particular about  Brown to Petrino.

“Qua is driven. Driven to be the best person he can, be the best football player he can, but also be driven in life. He won’t just be satisfied with a normal life” Petrino said. “He doesn’t boast or bang his chest when he’s doing it and he knows the only thing he needs to do is keep his head down and keep working.”

Petrino also commends the person that Brown is off the field.

“He’s a great person. He treats everybody with respect. He respects the process and he knows and understands you have to put work in in order to have success,” Petrino  said.

Petrino believes one of the best things coming out of Brown possibly winning this award, would be the example it will set for some of the younger players within the locker room.

“The thing that’s going to be great is understanding that you get recognized based on the way you prepare in practice. [Brown] has great practice habits,” Petrino said. “It’s one of those things you say to a lot to the new guys in the program, that these are the practice habits that you want to have in order to be successful on Saturdays”.

Even some of Petrino’s kids have seen the type of person that Brown is.

“[Brown] and my youngest son have an ongoing battle of playing Madden. So my son is always asking when the football players are coming over so he can play Qua in Madden. So I know my kids definitely look up to him. He’s just that kind of person,” Petrino said. “When you get him around people he shows his personality the most and he’s a very careful individual”.

Brown said, while earning this award would be a nice touch at the end of his collegiate career, there’s one thing in particular he’d like to do.

“I’m more concerned about a championship right now. I never got one in high school so it would be nice to go out with a bang. I understand that if we win a championship all those accolades will come with that. I’m more concerned about a championship than a personal award at the moment,” Brown said.

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter @Jojobernard2001.

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