WVU Freshman OL Kevin Brown Draws Comparison to Five-Time Pro Bowler

Kevin Brown is a needle-moving type of talent. Even as a true freshman, he is going to have a significant impact on the West Virginia offensive line, although o-line coach Rick Trickett has warned against calling him a "great" player right now, saying he can be a "good" football player right now who can turn into one of the best guys in the Big 12 at some point down the road.

Still, everyone is going to have high expectations for him because it's not every day you have a high-end four-star lineman choosing West Virginia. In our preseason kickoff special on The Walk Thru Game Day Show, former Mountaineer running back Eugene Napoleon said that Brown reminds him of someone he played with and had a successful career in the NFL.

“Do you know who Kevin Brown reminds me of? Mark Stepnoski. Mark Stepnoski and myself were in the same freshman class at Pitt back in 1985. Mark Stepnoski started as a true freshman. That’s how dominant he was. Technique, strength…nasty. He was everything that you thought he would be. Four-year starter, wound up going to the Cowboys, won some rings with the Cowboys, All-Pro. One of the best pure offensive linemen that I ever played with and seen in my entire life. This is the ceiling for Mr. Brown. He has that type of ceiling. He is really good, and again, he’s only going to get better because he’s a freshman.”

The Stepnoski comp may not be perfect in that he was an interior guy and much lighter than Brown, who is playing left tackle, but it's more about the makeup of the two players and how Brown could have similar success throughout his collegiate and professional career. Stepnoski was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and was on the Cowboys' 1993 and '94 Super Bowl teams.

The perfect runway for the start of Kevin Brown's career

Starting a true freshman on the offensive line will always have a coaching staff nervous, and that's no different with Kevin Brown projected to be the guy at left tackle next Saturday when the Mountaineers take the field against Coastal Carolina. However, the first two games are coming against a Group of Six opponent, and an FCS foe is a nice way for Brown to get his feet wet before facing his first true test with Virginia. Having those 100 or so snaps will go a long way in getting him settled in and more comfortable in the offense.

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