There might just be one sport Quinton Brown can’t play.

‘Hockey,’ he said. ‘I can’t ice skate.’

He probably could if he wanted to.

‘He can do anything,’ said J.C. Pinkney, Brown’s high school football coach at Frederick Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro, Md. ‘Athletics are his life.’

Brown, a freshman wide receiver on the Syracuse football team, not only played football in high school, but also played baseball, track, wrestling and even swimming. This season, Brown has minus-1 yard receiving on mostly failed wide receiver screens.

Those five receptions, though, are the first of his competitive football career. Brown played quarterback, safety and cornerback in high school in addition to returning kickoffs and punts.

Wide receivers coach Dennis Goldman said Brown was one of the top recruits in this year’s freshman class. Goldman projects Brown to be a starter at some point.

Brown is currently fourth on the depth chart with junior Steve Gregory, who is still out with a thigh injury.

‘It’s the same to me,’ Brown said of switching offensive positions. ‘You still get the ball in your hands, and you make plays. If you’re a player, you can play wherever you want.’

Goldman said Brown has made excellent progress and that high school quarterbacks are already familiar with different coverages and running routes. The Orange’s leading receiver this season, senior Jared Jones, was a redshirt quarterback his first year at SU.

But Brown said he has always wanted to catch instead of throw.

‘He didn’t care too much for quarterback,’ said Thomas Clagget, a former teammate of Brown’s in high school. ‘But he knew he had to play it for us.’

Brown’s numbers suggest at least some level of enjoyment. In his senior season, Brown led Upper Marlboro to an undefeated regular season and a conference championship as an option quarterback. He rushed for 1,153 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also had four interceptions last season. Brown returned seven punts and three kickoffs for touchdowns over four years.

Speed has always been Brown’s strength. He won the state championship in the 55-meter indoor hurdles as a junior. His forte – the wide receiver screen – is designed to take advantage of that speed. Goldman foresees Brown returning both punts and kickoffs in the future.

Brown garnered 13 varsity letters in high school. One was earned in near-secrecy, though.

‘I ain’t telling nobody,’ he said of competing in the 50-meter freestyle swimming sprint as a senior. ‘Only the kicker knew.’

Brown wasn’t kidding. Former teammate and best friend Clagget had no idea, and Goldman couldn’t wait to nag him. His mom didn’t even believe him at first when he declared his intention of running go-patterns in the pool.

‘I was trying to build up upper-body strength, especially shoulders,’ Brown said. ‘Plus, I like swimming.’

Many times during his junior or senior years, Brown played two sports at once. But conflicts were not an issue.

‘They didn’t make me choose,’ Brown said. ‘I did what I wanted, really.’

Agreements between different coaches allowed him to attend whichever sport was a priority on a day-to-day basis.

Pat Brown, Quinton’s mother, was a two-sport player in high school (basketball and softball), and she encouraged her son despite being limited financially.

‘It was well worth spending the money,’ Pat said. ‘It was incentive for him to do well in school. It kept him busy and away from the wrong crowd.’

Both Brown and his mother noted the importance SU placed on education during the recruiting process. Pat said other schools, including her son’s other top choices – Maryland and Clemson – talked football exclusively.

‘The majority of kids that come here go through a humbling period,’ Goldman said. ‘But he’s happy to have the opportunity. At this level, there are a lot of guys who don’t like the game. He is a happy kid.’

Published on October 12, 2004 at 12:00 pm