Arkansas commit CJ Brown seeks good finish for Bentonville before he becomes a Razorback
Bentonville senior wide receiver CJ Brown was standing in the bathroom at Las Fajitas Mexican restaurant this past June, when he placed a call to Arkansas receivers coach Kenny Guiton, to inform the coach of his decision become a Razorback.
“I’ve gotten nothing but love from Arkansas, and it’s a family down there,” said Brown, a 3-Star recruit, who made his announcement official after a family dinner, on June 15. “Me being committed for a while now, I know their staff, inside and out. It really is just a family, with Coach Guiton, Coach (Sam) Pittman, Coach (Dan) Enos. Even with the defensive coaches, it’s all family down there.”
Bentonville High School receiver CJ Brown is a three-star recruit who has committed to Arkansas. (Photo by Scott Miller)
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, inside-outside combo receiver is rated as the No. 6 prospect in the state and the second-ranked receiver, behind only fellow Razorback commit, Pine Bluff’s Courtney Crutchfield. Brown is also rated the 79th best pass-catcher in the country, according to 247Sports.com.
But before the agile Brown transitions to the college game, he still has some unfinished business at Bentonville -- mainly trying to lead the Tigers back to the 7A state championship game. They fell to Bryant in last season’s finale, but have high hopes of earning a return trip, despite the team’s current 2-2 record.
“We’ve lost two games by three points, so we are six points away from being 4-0,” Brown said. “So, if we can just keep doing what we do, minimize our penalties, and just focus on the little things, we will be right there.”
The Tigers shut out Broken Arrow (Okla.), 41-0, in the season-opener, before a pair of tough home losses – falling to Conway, 42-39, as well as last second-second field goal defeat, at the hands of Missouri-power Kansas City Rockhurst, 24-21. Bentonville rebounded last Friday night with a 73-39 romp at Springdale Har-Ber.
“I think the season is going pretty good, from a team stand-point,” Brown said. “I know some people are concerned for us, being 2-2, which is not normal for Bentonville. But I don’t have any doubt that we will be back in Little Rock, competing for a championship. There is no team in the state that I can look at and say, ‘We can’t beat them’.”
In the win over Broken Arrow, he had 4 receptions for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also threw a 62-yard TD in that game. He has totaled 18 catches, so far this season, for 396 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.
He has also returned three kickoffs for a total of 226 yards and taken two back for scores.Down 21-10 at halftime of the Conway game, Brown picked the team up and carried it on his shoulders to bring them back early in the second half. He opened the third quarter with a 99-yard kickoff return, then a few minutes later, got loose on an 81-yard touchdown pass from Carter Nye. Just like that, the Tigers were right back in it.
“I always pride myself in rising to the occasion,” he said. “I don’t want to be there only when things are going good.”
After starting at the inside slot position as a sophomore, Brown moved outside and exploded with a stellar junior season, being named All-State and leading the Tigers to an 11-2 record a year ago. He hauled in 75 passes for 1,384 yards and 15 touchdowns, including four TDs in a playoff win over North Little Rock.
“CJ had an excellent junior season,” Bentonville Head Coach Jody Grant said. “He was most definitely one of the top receivers in the state. Had 75 receptions and set our single-season receiving yards record. All this while often being double teamed.
“(He is) also a dangerous threat in the return game. But most importantly, a great teammate.”
Brown began playing football – flag football – as a 4-year-old. But when he reached the third grade, the helmet and shoulder pads went on and a star was born. Although, as a defensive end that season, Brown knew he was on the wrong side of the ball.
“It was fun, but I always knew I was an offensive player,” he said with a laugh. “Even if people didn’t believe it, I always knew I was an offensive person, because I liked scoring.”
CJ Brown was originally a running back but moved to receiver in high school. (Photo by Scott Miller)
Ironically, his first trip to the end zone happened as a defensive player that first season, as Brown intercepted a pass and took it back to the house for six.
Also ironic, is the fact that Brown’s family is originally from Cleveland. They moved to Bentonville when he was 5 years old and have lived in the same house ever since. His sister, Jada, was a standout for the Lady Tigers’ basketball team two years ago, and now plays at Vanderbilt.
When Brown got to to Bright Field Middle School in the 7th grade, he was moved across the ball and lined up at running back. He remained at the position until he reached high school, where Bentonville already had a phenomenal young running back in Josh Ficklin. The speedy Ficklin graduated in the spring, following an all-state season, and is now carrying the ball at Illinois State.
“When I got to high school, I knew in my mind that I didn’t want to have to share time with anybody, so I moved to receiver,” Brown explained. “And it worked out really well, because they didn’t have anyone playing the slot position. I was willing to play whatever would get me on the field. I played slot receiver my sophomore year and never looked back from there.”
He moved to outside receiver last season, following in the footsteps of fellow Bentonville standout receiver Chas Nimrod, who went on to sign with Tennessee. Brown is now grateful he made the position switch.
“Playing receiver is a lot less contact, but it involves a lot more mental stuff,” he said. “At running back its just, ‘see hole, hit hole’, but at receiver you really have to assess each play. You have to read the depth, the leverage, the eyes of the defender. You have to read what the safety is doing every play.”
But he also likes the physical aspects of blocking for teammates.
“I love blocking, and it is such an unselfish thing to do,” he added. “It shows a lot about someone’s character, like whether they are willing to block for their teammates, even when they know they are not getting the ball. As a receiver, you always want the ball, but it’s what you do without the ball that really defines who you are.”
Brown has already gotten to know many of the Razorbacks’ current players. He played 7-on-7 against Hog freshman tight end Luke Hasz, last summer, and ran track against redshirt-freshman receiver/kick-returner Isaiah Sategna, who was at Fayetteville two years ago. Sategna was Brown’s host when he took his official visit.
“And the good thing about official visits, are that the players are always going to shoot you straight,” Brown said. “I have also gotten to know a lot of the players there, because I am down there so often.”
Bentonville senior CJ Brown is hoping to lead the Tigers back to the Class 7A state championship game this fall. (Photo by Scott Miller)
He actually grew up a fan of Alabama and Texas, and Arkansas wasn’t really in his plans, growing up.
“A lot of people talk about Arkansas being their dream school, but it wasn’t my dream school,” he admitted, with a big grin. “I have always liked the way (Alabama’s) Nick Saban coached, with his discipline and his principles, and my dad wanted me to go to Texas, because he grew up in Austin.”
He was getting recruited by a number of Power-5 schools, the likes of Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Louisville, Kansas State, Vanderbilt and Minnesota.
“I was on a visit to Louisville, right after my junior season, in January, when Arkansas contacted me,” Brown remembered. “Coach Guiton had texted me and asked if I would come down to campus for ‘Junior Day.’ I got the offer that Saturday, and just built a relationship from there.
“It was really a hard decision, because each school offers a lot of stuff. It was a hard conversation with my parents about what was best for me. And leaving to go play 10 hours away from home is probably not what’s best for me. A lot of people talk about missing what’s right in front of you. I didn’t want to miss what was right in front of me.”
Ultimately, the decision was based on the true family atmosphere surrounding the Razorback program.
Bentonville senior CJ Brown has totaled 18 catches this season for 396 yards and five touchdowns.
“That’s just something that you can’t beat, is the Arkansas coaching staff,” Brown said. “They just know how to recruit and make recruits feel like they are already part of the family. And I had some real conversations with Coach Pittman before I was even committed.”
His plan is to enroll early in January and has been told his likely role will splitting at inside and outside receiver, due to his versatility.
“I’ve been working to be a Division I athlete all my life, but I have been trying to clean up my diet,” he said. “I’m in pretty good shape, but I know when I get to college, my diet will be a lot different.” I will get there early and get on their programs for lifting and working out, and also to start eating right and put on a little more weight. It will just give me that much of a head-start.
Enrolling early will prevent Brown from playing basketball or running track for the Tigers in the winter and spring. Not only was he a starter on the basketball team, but last spring, he finished tied for fourth-place in the 100M at the state track meet with a time of 10.98. He also finished fourth, as a part of Bentonville’s 4X100 Relay team.
Like many in his position, Brown’s ultimate-goal is to eventually play in the NFL. He knows that will take the ultimate sacrifice and effort, in all phases. But at the end of the day, he gives thanks for God-given talent and tools he gets to work with.
“Absolutely, God has blessed me with some size and physical tools,” he said. “He was definite blessed me with everything I have.”
--Steve Andrews
