APSU Sports: Austin Peay Football
Clarksville, TN – O.C. Brown, a 2009 four-star offensive line prep recruit who was the focal point of the 2012 Academy Award-winning documentary, “Undefeated,” has transferred to Austin Peay State University from Southern Miss.
The redshirt sophomore from Memphis Tennessee will have three seasons of eligibility remaining and will join his former prep teammate from Manassas High School, Terrence Oliver, as a Governor. A second former Manassas teammate, incoming freshman running back Omar Williams, played his senior season at St. George Independent School in Memphis this past season.
“O.C. not only was a high profile player coming out of high school, but he also is a real good individual,” APSU coach Rick Christophel said. “We knew O.C. when we were recruiting Terrence Oliver a few years ago.
“He was a highly recruited young man. A good thing about him is he not only has experience at that level, but he also has three years of eligibility left. He can come in and be a valuable part of this offensive line. We will try to figure out which position he will play as things go along. We know this helps solidify us for the next couple of years.”
Brown was a two-time Class 3A All-State selection by the Tennessee Football Coach Association and chosen by the Memphis Commercial Appeal in 2009 as one of the `Most Wanted’ football players in the area. He played for the Blue team in the 2009 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
Brown was listed as a four-star player by Rivals.com and was voted by the website as the No. 6 rated player in the state and No. 11 offensive guard in the country. Meanwhile, Scout.com listed him as a three-star performer and No. 34 nationally among offensive guards.
Originally Brown was to be featured in a documentary during 2009 by filmmakers Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin, a story reminiscent of the award-winning movie “The Blind Side.” The filmmakers realized, however, they needed to expand the Manassas story to include more than Brown.
In February, “Undefeated” was presented the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
After redshirting in 2010 for Southern Miss, Brown served as a reserve lineman this past season.
His presence will help fortify an offensive front that lost three starters—center Tim Schmid along with tackles J.P Washington and James Barker. Junior guard Chris Hartman and Jacob Langston, who is moving from guard to center to replace Schmid, return as starters.
“Other than Jacob, who is our only senior, this group is going to be together for awhile,” Christophel said. “With O.C., this gives him time to come in here and get himself established a little bit, let him feel at home—and build rapport and chemistry with the other guys.
