The lofty goal of Reavis’ Jorden Brown is to become a Division I football player. His dream colleges are Michigan and Notre Dame. And he knows it won’t be easy
The junior running back/receiver/cornerback/kick returner, however, is preparing himself for a long — and possibly lonely — journey ahead to make that happen.
“There are a million kids across the country who want to go Division I, and I’m one of those kids,” Brown said. “I know what it takes to really get there. It’s a process.
“It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifices. You can’t spend as much time with your friends. It’s a solo journey, so you have to have some mental toughness.”
Reavis (1-1) heads into Friday’s South Suburban Red opener at Evergreen Park (2-0) coming off a big win. The Rams beat Noble Rowe-Clark 43-8 after losing 38-30 to Bremen.
Because the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Brown plays so many positions, he hasn’t put up monster numbers, but he has delivered a bunch of electrifying moments.
In all, Brown has rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, adding 34 yards receiving and 37 yards on returns while recording an interception and several pass breakups.
“He does a lot for us,” Reavis coach Tim Zasada said. “He’s off to a good start, and we hope to see it continue. He’s coming along, and he’s going to be really good.
“He’s a tough kid who can run inside and run outside. He’s definitely a dual threat and definitely a team player. We really like the fact that he’s also a leader as a junior.”
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Senior quarterback Nick Gomez, who has shown some dual-threat ability himself as a passer and runner, appreciates Brown’s versatility.
“He’s a great running back and a great blocker,” he said. “He catches balls. He has great field vision. He’s just all around a top, quality player. It’s great to have him on the team.”
Brown got a taste of varsity on defense for one game as a freshman. When he found out he was going to start on defense as a sophomore, he felt a bit of angst.
“There was just a lot thrown at me, and being the starting corner, I didn’t know how I was going to respond to all of that,” Brown said. “Was I going to let the butterflies and nervousness take over? Or was I going to hone that feeling and do my best on the field?”
The answer came quickly in a 14-8 loss to Stagg.
“They left after the first game after the first hit and first snap,” he said about the butterflies.
Brown confirmed he has more confidence heading into this season, which is a big positive for the inexperienced Rams.
Reavis has only four returning starters. Zasada said as many as seven sophomores could see starting time this season.
In addition to liking both the hitting on defense and the running on offense, Brown wants to be a leader for the young players on and off the field.
One of the sacrifices Brown said he’s going to make in an effort become a college-ready player for football is to give up baseball and participate in track and field in the spring.
He believes that will help with his quickness.
“It’s going to be hard to give up baseball because I have been playing it since I was 4 years old,” Brown said. “I was timed before my sophomore year in the 40 at 4.7, and I’m way faster than that now. But I want to get even faster.
“It’s one of the sacrifices have to make for my goal. I need to get faster and I need more time to lift. I want to be the best version of myself.”
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Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.