Describing a town as emptying out on a football game day is usually hyperbole intended to illustrate how important the game is to a community. 

In the case of East Nicolaus, California—population 273—the town may well have emptied to see S.J. Brown and his Towson teammates against San Diego State on Sept. 25. 

A cheering section of dozens sat behind the Tigers bench at Dignity Health Sports Park for the non-conference clash, vocalizing their support through a competitive first half for the visitors from the other side of the country and staying through the final whistle. 

Many donned custom-made T-shirts with Brown posing on the front, arms folded, and a logo on the back that incorporates his initials and numbers. They are interlocked in a style reminiscent of the classic Superman symbol. 

Brown has indeed been pretty super for the Tigers. Midway through the 2021 season, he has a team-high 43 tackles with a forced fumble and interception. Brown’s also a leader for a defense that has Towson in the thick of the Colonial Athletic Association championship chase.

Towson lost to San Diego State on that sunny afternoon in Southern California, but Brown can only be described as a winner. 

“SJ brings people together,” said his mother, Veronica Brown. Donning one of her son’s jerseys, Veronica beamed talking about her child.

Not many parents have the privilege of bragging about a son with an entire community backing him on his journey to a possible NFL career. 

“There’s something special about his personality that I feel like God uses him in a very special way to unite people,” Veronica said. 

If the crowd in Carson is any indication, SJ does indeed have a knack for bringing people together. 

“The motto’s always been small town, big dreams and that’s why they’re here,” Veronica said. “He’s one of those small-town kids, just living the dream now.”  

From California To The Colonial

East Nicolaus isn’t exactly a short trip from the Los Angeles area, at nearly 450 miles to the north, but it’s considerably closer than the 2,700 miles that separate it from Towson.  

“I heard one of [San Diego State’s] coaches just now talk about S.J.,” said Tigers coach Rob Ambrose. “He said, ‘In 30 years of doing this, I’ve never seen a safety play like him.’ That’s a heckuva compliment. 

“We told him, ‘Well, thanks: He’s from here.’” 

The Golden State isn’t typically a frequent recruiting pipeline for any CAA programs. Towson has the same number of California products as it does players from Germany, just two. 

But what San Diego State—and every other Div-I program in the state and along the West Coast—missed in the recruiting process became Towson’s gain. 

Tigers special teams coordinator and safeties coach Lyndon Johnson credited passing game coordinator Justin Harper for recruiting S.J. to Towson. Harper “had a connection” with Ben Noonan, S.J.’s coach at Sierra College in Rocklin, California. 

Noonan brought S.J. in from East Nicolaus High School, where S.J. led the Spartans to the 2015 California Interscholastic Federation championship in Division VI-AA. 

S.J. was a force on both sides of the ball for ENHS, including at quarterback. He scored both Spartans touchdowns in the 2015 CIF Championship Game, one passing and the other rushing. 

When Noonan recruited S.J. to Sierra, however, the coach said the two decided together that Brown would focus on defensive back. 

“I understand why they had him at quarterback,” Noonan said. “He was their best athlete so they put the ball in his hands.” 

“I had no doubt I could play quarterback, to be honest. I’m confident in my abilities,” S.J. said. “But the biggest things for me: 1. My dad played defense in college and 2. Just my body frame. I know how the recruiting process works, and seeing that in high school I was good at quarterback but college coaches look for a specific prototype.”

Following the lead of his dad, who started on defense at Lafayette, and taking the recommendation of Noonan, S.J.’s full-time move to defense paid dividends. 

In 2018, S.J. led the Wolverines with an incredible 119 tackles, 6.5 of which went for losses, forced a pair of fumbles, and broke up a pass. He proved himself an invaluable playmaker at safety, but just needed the right opportunity to advance his college career. 

Noonan said some Div-I interest came in, but inherent disadvantages California JUCO players sometimes face on the recruiting market complicated S.J.’s process. 

“There’s always a hesitation in the South and in the different states,” said Noonan, who has previous stints coaching at Baylor and Alabama State. “‘Oh those California guys, they never fit in here. They get homesick or they’re not tough.’” 

Even Towson, which has a roster made up primarily of players from the East Coast, approached carefully. 

“When you recruit cross-country it’s always a little difficult,” Johnson said. “But when we got him out here, he just fit right in with the mentality of our team, and since he’s been here, it’s only expanded.”

Any stereotype that a California player lacks the physicality of his Southern or Eastern counterparts is quickly dispelled when watching S.J. in action. 

He flies to the ball with purpose and hits with furiosity. 

Let's get ready to FUMMMMMMBBBBLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEE!

SJ punches it out and Kearney recovers it!

📹 - https://t.co/OQnijN33Yn
📊 - https://t.co/tO4o81Hmij#UnitedWeRoar x #NCAAFCS pic.twitter.com/kSXnImzFZz

— Towson Football (@Towson_FB) October 9, 2021

That attitude extends to practice as much as it does game days. 

“There are times in practice when you’re kind of doing a half-speed drill, and I’ve really got to get on S.J. to slow it down a little bit just so we can get a good look at what we’re trying to do,” Johnson said.

And you can bet that anywhere from the Pacific to the Gulf to the Atlantic, Brown would play with the same tenacity. 

“For me, it was the opportunity to play anywhere,” S.J. said of his recruitment. “I wasn’t concerned about the location. I wanted to come in the spring semester so I could play in the spring [of 2019] and learn the playbook so I was ready to go for the season. 

“Towson was one of the schools that offered me during that period, and it was the school I liked the most at mid-year,” he added. “So, I chose them.” 

Going Back To Cali

Much like with his move from quarterback to defensive back paying off quickly at Sierra College, Brown’s midterm trek across the country to Towson played out nicely. 

S.J. made an immediate impact his first season with the Tigers, finishing second in tackles with 86. He also picked off a couple of passes and broke up another three. 

Brown headed into 2020 looking like a prime candidate for All-CAA honors and possible NFL draft interest in the year to come. 

Then, the world shut down. 

COVID-19 forced S.J. back home to California with no clear answers about when classes would return to session or the Tigers might get back on the gridiron. 

While no one had any clear timetable in spring 2020 for what to expect in the months to come, one certainty was that the pandemic would separate the most dedicated whenever football returned.

“You’re going to be able to tell the difference in who worked out during quarantine and who didn’t,” Veronica Brown said she recalled discussing with S.J. when he returned home. 

So, the Brown’s garage became a makeshift weight room. 

Anyone who attempted to purchase workout equipment during the height of pandemic lockdowns can attest to the scarcity. It was no different for Div-I football players. But East Nicolaus had S.J.’s back. 

“My old high school, I was able to get weights from them,” he said. “I basically had a full setup in my garage.”

S.J. stayed sharp and in shape as the weeks turned to months—and for Towson, the wait went from months to years. 

The NCAA’s decision to delay the 2020 season until spring 2021 forced athletic departments to make difficult choices. Some programs played FBS competition in the fall, while others waited until the unprecedented spring campaign. 

Towson opted out of both. 

But the pandemic did not rob S.J. of his final collegiate season. With every player around the country offered additional eligibility, Brown returned for 2021 and was able to come back to California again under much more welcomed circumstances. 

Ambrose said Towson “tries” to schedule as many games near players’ homes as possible, and the trip to San Diego State brought both Brown and quarterback Jeff Miller back to California. But had 2020 played out as normal, S.J. may not have been around to experience it. 

“I definitely had [the San Diego State] game marked on the calendar, because it was only the second time Towson ever came out to California,” he said. “Getting that extra year back and having the opportunity to play there was special.” 

Big Dreams

The CAA championship and berth in the FCS Playoffs remain in reach for Towson halfway through the 2021 season. Brown plays an integral part in both pursuits. 

He also has before him his dream of reaching the NFL. 

“That’s always the goal for me, that’s been the goal since I was a kid,” he said. “I’m just working to put myself in the best spot.” 

Ambrose, who has coached plenty of professional players in his time at Towson, raved about Brown’s pursuit of his dreams. 

“He has goals and nothing deters him,” Ambrose said. And while the safety’s time at Towson has helped along that process, the Tigers coach turns the focus back to East Nicolaus and S.J.’s family.  

“He was a mature, focused kid when he came in. That maturity and focus bleeds into everything, and that’s not just football,” Ambrose said. “I’m not taking any credit for that, coach Johnson’s not allowed to take any credit for that. That comes from his parents.”