After a trying season, Brown has a renewed appreciation for the game
As Missouri kicked off its first practice of the spring, Nate Brown stood off to the side with his helmet dangling in his left hand, rubbing his neck and watching his fellow wide receivers run drills, waiting for his turn to take the field.
Watching from the sidelines is something Brown is used to by now, probably a little more than he’d like. However, it’s through no fault of his own.
After emerging as one of Missouri’s top receiving targets two years ago, Brown was forced to sit out the entire 2016 season, tearing several ligaments in his ankle this past August. He received a medical redshirt.
“It was tough,” Brown said of his injury. “Especially just seeing my brothers out there every weekend, not being able to suit up. But it was motivation to get back out there faster, work harder and get back to where I need to be.”
For awhile, Brown thought he’d be able to return to action at some point during the season. Head coach Barry Odom left open the possibility well into the first two months of the year. Each week, questions of Brown’s return were asked, and each week, Odom responded with a wait-and-see approach. But as the season progressed and the more Missouri struggled on the field, the less it made sense for Brown to return. The comeback was ultimately shut down with a handful of games left in the season.
The injury was the first time Brown had ever been out for an extended period of time. He initially held off surgery on his ankle, a process that included the insertion of a metal plate in his foot, but couldn’t do enough to see the field. Being away from the game for that long was an adjustment for Brown, and he admitted he didn’t realize the mental toll a season-long injury takes. He struggled to balance his rehab with classes and his personal life and at times, life without football became dark.
“That’s a tough process,” wide receiver J’Mon Moore said, shaking his head after thinking back to Brown’s injury. “Whenever a guy who truly loves to play and would do anything for this team goes down, that’s hard. I know it was a hell of a process, but he did it.”
Brown often dressed in black and gold sweats during the season. He’d hobble up and down Missouri’s sidelines on crutches, making the rounds encouraging his teammates in the midst of a losing season. It’s the least he could do after what they did for him.
“Those guys pushed me every day,” Brown said with a smile. “They stayed on me, kept me upbeat, sent me texts, that sort of thing. Something you really look for in a team.”
Perhaps the light at the end of the tunnel was seeing his position mates find some success under first-year offensive coordinator Josh Heupel. The wide receiver position is undoubtedly in a much more stable condition now compared to the 2015 season. Moore returns after leading the SEC in receiving yards. Dimetrios Mason was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. Contributors like Johnathon Johnson and Emanuel Hall are all back, and another year of development from Drew Lock should help.
The current group features depth, experience and a wide range of skills to compliment an emerging running game. Brown hopes to contribute to that with a renewed focus.
“You really get a new perspective of the game,” Brown said. “You don’t really take it for granted as much as you did when you didn’t have that much adversity come at once.”
When a whistle blew during Missouri’s wide receiver drills, Brown put on his helmet and slowly jogged out onto Faurot Field for the first practice of 2017. Whatever reservations about his injury he had coming into the practice quickly faded after he displayed much the same explosiveness that made him a 4-star recruit.
“I have no doubts,” he said confidently. “I’ll be back to where I want to be.”