Canadian RB Chase Brown on NFL radars, revitalizing Illinois with epic season

Nothing can stop you from playing the No. 3 team in the country, in the Big House, in the junior year of your college football career.

Not even a banged-up ankle – especially when you're playing a conference opponent. And especially when you’re leading the country in rushing.

That’s Illinois running back Chase Brown’s reality.

Leading all of the NCAA – not just the Big Ten – in rushing yards with 1,442, Brown has ensured all eyes are on him as the Fighting Illini go up against the Wolverines.

“I didn't know exactly how it was gonna play out, but I knew what I wanted to do, and what my guys are capable of,” said Brown. “I'm also confident in my ability as well, so right now, I'm just taking it one week at a time, but I'm definitely glad and feel blessed to be in the business.”

Recording a career-high seven rushing touchdowns this season (and that's still with two more games to go), Brown has come a long way from his start in 2018 playing at Western Michigan University.

When he transferred to the Big Ten to play for the Fighting Illini, Brown made an immediate impact, registering 540 yards and three touchdowns in his first season.

In his sophomore year, he cracked the 1,000-yard rushing mark and tallied five rushing touchdowns – both numbers he's blown past in his third year at the school and second under head coach Bret Bielema.

“Coach has done a great job with everything going on with this team. His whole big-time run-the-ball culture that he brings here. But also, I got a big shout-out to my position coach Cory Patterson. I came in not really knowing what to expect, but he set his standard right away, and his thing was, ‘I'm going to make you a better running back [by the time] you leave here,'” said Brown.

“He's done nothing but that - working on my footwork, my knowledge of run schemes and understanding what's going on in front of me to be successful on game day. I think that's what I've seen in my development so far, and just how they built me in that way - it just has helped me be a smart football player.”

Illinois didn’t have it easy the past two years. They went 2-6 during the almost-cancelled pandemic season in 2020, with head coach Lovie Smith being relieved of his duties before the final game, and then 5-7 in Bielema’s first year.

But knowing that Brown was capable of something that could top even Michigan’s Blake Corum or Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim was what Illinois based their offence around going into 2022.

Brown’s tenacity on the ground drove Illinois to break a decade-plus drought and get ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 2011, as well as getting them included in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time ever.

“That's culture change right here, we have a winning culture, and when everybody comes into the building where we're not thinking about how we're going to stop this team, [but] we're thinking about how we're going to attack this team and make plays against them,” said Brown.

“That's something everybody believes in, on a daily basis. Everybody is doing their job and focusing on what they can do and their role, [that's] only going to help this team - that's what everybody's focused on right now. As long as we keep on doing that, we're gonna be competitive every game.”

While they may have started their season 1-1, suffering a close loss to Indiana, Illinois went on a six-game winning streak to notch a winning season for the first time since 2007, with Brown putting up a touchdown a week over that span.

But one thing about the Big Ten is that a late-season upset is never out of the question, and both the Michigan State Spartans and Purdue Boilermakers were able to hand the Fighting Illini losses.

Brown suffered an ankle injury against Purdue, but knowing a big opportunity to show the college football world what Illinois football was about was coming up, it wasn't going to stop the London, Ontario native. He's starting against Michigan.

Now having put himself on the map with CFL and NFL scouts watching his every move, Brown’s objectives haven’t changed in terms of doing everything he can to win for Illinois – instead, they've elevated to being the best teammate and role model he possibly can.

Brown gets to play alongside twin brother Sydney Brown, a defensive back for Illinois who has recorded 31 solo tackles, a forced fumble, four interceptions and a sack this season, and the Canadians know that many others look up to their path to success for the future.

“I feel blessed, because I remember when I was in London, and I'd see guys on the Western football team come on to the school, they were like superheroes to me. Knowing that I'm in a position now - not saying it's any better than guys' there - but I could never envision where I would end up, especially being Canadian, and how my goals changed,” said Brown.

“I have to sit back sometimes, and just appreciate everything that's going on around me - like it happened the other day, in the middle of practice, I am at a Division I school in the Big Ten. I just have to sit back and appreciate that, because it's just something that is hard to envision while you're young and Canadian.

“I didn't even have goals of going to college, in high school, I really didn't, I wasn't a good student. It’s just crazy how it all played out. I'm feeling blessed, but my message sent to kids out there - make the most of your opportunity, stay focused in school, because that's really like your job right now - be a good student. Work on your craft, and doing that, on a daily basis, will pay off in the long run, even though it's hard to see in the moment.”