Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a series of profiles about Montana State’s recently signed football recruits. The Bobcats signed 15 players during the second signing period that culminated in February.
Over the last three recruiting cycles, Jeff Choate and his staff have gone to work revamping Montana State’s defensive secondary.
The Bobcats brought in graduate transfer John Walker, an eventual All-Big Sky cornerback who came to MSU after starting at Colorado. Because of the impressive recruiting abilities of former NFL safety Gerald Alexander, Montana State’s secondary coach for a season in 2016, the Bobcats also landed Southern California standouts Tyrel Thomas, Jalen Cole, Ty’Rese Gibson and Ty’Rhae Gibson.
Alexander and Mark Orphey, the MSU secondary coach each of the last two seasons, helped the Bobcats land Greg “Munchie” Filer III, a transfer from Compton College.
Walker and Filer have earned all-conference accolades at MSU. The other four have helped fortify MSU’s secondary and, in turn, the Bobcat defense.
So when Choate talks in platitudes about his evaluation of recent signee Dom Brown, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound cornerback from Oxnard, California less than an hour from Los Angeles, the praise comes with gravity.
[restrict paid=”true”]
“Dom might be the best defensive back I’ve evaluated on film in my time at Montana State,” Choate said on National Signing Day in February. “He’s a force in the secondary, a long athlete who can lock you up in man-to-man and is really excellent in zone, understanding concepts.”
Brown, the Pacific League Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time first-team all-conference selection for Oxnard High School, landed on Montana State’s radar because of a few random connections.
First, Brown’s cousin Azeem Victor was an All-Pac 12 linebacker at Washington when Choate was an assistant on Chris Petersen’s staff at UW.
“My cousin speaks very highly of Coach Choate,” Brown said.
Second, the Bobcats have had several players from Oxnard, including former All-Big Sky tight end Tiai Salanoa, a captain for the 2014 Bobcats, and 2018 all-conference defensive end Tyrone Fa’anono, a senior for last season’s playoff-qualifying Bobcats.
And third, Sam Holt, Choate’s administrative assistant, is friends with Brown’s high school position coach.
“I liked the coaching staff and I like where we are at right now,” Brown said. “The position is a good position to be in. The new facilities that are getting started and built this summer, all the players, everybody is bought in. It’s a good place to be.”
Brown first heard from Orphey last summer after attending a summer football camp at USC. His first offer came from Portland State at the end of his senior season. Montana State came in with an offer shortly after.
Orphey left Choate’s staff for a similar position at Utah State in January. Kyle Risinger, MSU’s secondary coach who will now focus on corners after spending the last two seasons focusing on safeties, took over Brown’s recruitment.
“I didn’t know what would happen when Coach O left because I didn’t know who was going to take over for him but Coach Risinger, he took over so it wasn’t nothing big or drastic,” Brown said. “I think it’s a good move. I understand that Coach Orphey had to go. But Coach Risinger is a great coach as well. I’m not worried. I was never worried. I know Coach Risinger is going to hold it down.”
As a senior (his fourth as a starter), Brown notched 23 tackles and snared seven interceptions. He is also a two-year starter in basketball and a standout in track.
The Yellowjacket football team went on a historic run, winning 11 games and advancing to the semifinals of the CIF Division 6 playoffs. With Brown as the captain during basketball season, Oxnard raced to a runner-up finish in the CIF Southern Sectional before getting upset in the CIF state basketball championship.
The run in hoops delayed the start to Brown’s track season. He runs the 100 meters and the 200 meters. Despite being behind in his practice times, Brown has run under 11.4 seconds in the 100 this spring.
“All that got me ready but I think 7-on-7 last spring elevated my game to another level,” Brown said. “Playing against the best people in the nation, that really helped my game. I felt like I was able to dominate this past senior year.
“But I will never be comfortable. I want to keep working to be the best.”
In the midst of that 23-win basketball season, Brown took a weekend to visit Montana less than two weeks before National Signing Day. While in Bozeman, he hung out with Filer, Thomas, Cole, the Gibson twins and senior safety Jahque Alleyne.
“It’s very different than where I’m from,” Brown said. “All the mountains, that’s nothing new to me but the small town…I’m from the city, outside of L.A. and it’s just different, the whole outdoors and stuff like that. But it’s good to experience something new. I was comfortable with the team I was with, the players. I got comfortable with them, the DBs from Southern California, they made me feel comfortable.”
So comfortable that Brown picked Montana State just weeks later. Brown said playing early is “something I want to do” but that he is willing to help the team in whatever way he can. He said he likes Choate’s broad coaching backgoround and experience as well as his energy. Brown’s mother accompanied him on his visit and “loved what Montana State had to offer.”
Choate’s evaluation of Brown pins lofty expectations on the talented cornerback. As Brown finishes his senior season, he is looking forward to turning those expectations into elite performance.
“When I signed, it was a big weight off my shoulders because it can be stressful at that time,” Brown said. “It was great. I felt good doing it. I’ve always wanted to play college football since I was young, since I was a kid. Now I have the opportunity to do it and I have to make the most of it.”
[/restrict]
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or contributed. All Rights Reserved .
