Frank Bodani

fbodani@ydr.com

The mother of three said she could feel it while pregnant with her only son.

He would own a most different purpose from all of the others around her.

So when she gave birth to him 17 years ago on a Friday, she even waited until Monday to make it official.

He would be called Journey Brown.

"Even when he was in my belly I just knew he was going to be special, and he was going to be the one who would change the dynamic of our whole family," said Buffy Brown. "I had to pick something perfect for him."

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Special he was from the time he was 5 years old and whipping boys twice his age and more during sprints at the end of wrestling practice.

He would only get faster and produce head-turning running back numbers at Meadville High. He would finally earn that elusive scholarship and verbally commit to Penn State just a couple of weeks before Wednesday's National Signing Day.

It certainly hasn't been an easy path traveled. Despite being the fastest high school football player in the state, Brown was lightly recruited by Power Five schools. At various points, the road blocks ranged from a lack of size to shaky academics to dominating only substandard competition.

Now, he is arguably the most intriguing part of Penn State's 19-member recruiting class of 2017, the group rated between 10th and 15th nationally.

"He really didn't know what he had the potential to achieve," said Meadville High coach Ray Collins. "He was a typical 16-year-old kid, wanted to hang out with friends and not put time into school.

"But when he went to work his grades came right up. Just tell him to do it, and he does it."

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Even more valuable is Brown's versatility beyond tailback. He could combine excellent pass-catching skills with his speed to become a dangerous slot receiver. He also projects as a possible cornerback in college.

"This guy's got major big-play potential," said Adam Friedman, a Mid-Atlantic analyst with Rivals.com. "We always talk about hidden gems toward signing day. He certainly could be a hidden gem."

And yet it's not like people don't know of Brown's gaudy high school numbers. He often produced video-game results, like that 720-yard, 10-touchdown performance against DuBois as a junior.

Rather, the doubt comes from playing in an unorthodox offense and being tested mostly against inferior competition. Some recruiting sites refused to even rank him until he signed a couple of weeks ago with Penn State.

One thing is certain, though: Journey Brown was born to run. He is Pennsylvania's reigning Class AAA sprint champ with a time of 10.62 seconds in the 100 meters. He also just posted the fastest indoor 60 meter time in the state — 10th in the U.S. — at 6.87 seconds.

That speed helped him average more than 12 yards per carry over his high school career.

"Even in seventh grade his speed was unbelievable ...," Collins said.

"With Journey it's not just point A to point B straight-line speed. He has that, but the other thing is he has the ability to patiently find the seam. And when he puts that foot on the ground, he has a gear very few kids have. I've never seen anyone track him down from behind."

And yet with only cursory interest from most big schools, Brown seemed close to committing to Temple before the Nittany Lions finally came through with a scholarship. He possesses a thick frame that could hold 20 extra pounds or more and has been compared favorably to star Saquon Barkley by Penn State's coaching staff.

"I feel like I perform at my best when I'm under pressure," Brown said. "When people tell me I can't do something, I love proving them wrong. I've been doing it for 17 years now.

"I have to prove I'm not just fast, I'm not about speed. Just because I came from a small town and a small school, that doesn't mean anything. I feel like I can play with anybody in the country. I feel like I should be rated higher. That's all fuel for me to work harder.

"I'm not going to stop until I'm one of the best running backs in the country."