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AUSTIN — During his sophomore year at Elsik High School, junior Texas safety Chris Brown was working late at Frenchy’s Chicken in Alief. Brown worked as a cook for the Houston franchise to help his family and to put some money in his own pocket.

One night, he was preparing to close the restaurant when one last customer, a security guard, walked in. Instead of a 3 Piece Campus or a 4 Piece Feast for someone likely just off his own late shift, the guard put in a huge order.

Fifty two-piece specials, right before close.

Brown walked out of the kitchen and out of the restaurant.

“I did the math in my head, I’m like that’s 100 pieces of chicken,” Brown said after Texas’ 36-30 win over Oklahoma State. “I was like, I’m not cooking that. That’s not what I want to do. This is not what I want to do, so I ended up walking out.”

From that point forward, Brown focused on football. Instead of working in the service industry, Brown dedicated himself to becoming a master of his craft on the field. “Things just started working in my favor,” Brown said.

His focus paid off in the form of multiple college scholarship offers for the 5 foot 11 inch safety. First it was Michigan, followed by Kansas, Duke, and Purdue. Texas came calling in June prior to his senior season. Eventually, 23 schools offered Brown an opportunity to play football at the next level.

Brown took all of his official visits before coming to a decision. On National Signing Day 2016, he announced he was going to Texas.

His first season as a Longhorn was spent redshirting while the other safety in his class, senior Brandon Jones, saw the field immediately. Brown had to remain patient as the four-game redshirt rule didn’t exist. He had to spend an entire year waiting his turn.

After late season losses to West Virginia, Kansas, and TCU, Charlie Strong was relieved from his responsibilities as Texas’ head coach. Tom Herman and his staff arrived a few days after the loss to the Horned Frogs and assessed the roster. In Brown, they saw someone who could play.

“Playmaker, got great instincts, physical, but had a lot of development to go in terms of he’s not going to grow,” Herman said Sept. 16. “He’s not going to get any taller, so we needed to make sure that he was as strong and as prepared to withstand the physicality of that position. I think we all knew very early that he had a knack for the football and wasn’t afraid to throw his body around.”

In his redshirt freshman year in 2017, Brown recorded three tackles in two games. In 2018, Brown added more contributions. He played in eight games, mostly on special teams. He started in Texas’ home win over TCU and recorded his first career interception against Iowa State.

However, several members of Texas’ 2018 defensive back class cracked the starting lineup before Brown and received a healthy amount of playing time. It didn’t stop Brown. He continued to master his craft like he did in high school.

Brown had a strong few weeks of practice during the spring and carried that into Texas’ preseason camp, where he caught the eye of Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

“I said this a couple of weeks ago that he was by far our best player,” Orlando said Sept. 18 of Brown’s preseason performance. “When we lined up versus La Tech, I was like ‘this guy’s going to play really, really, really well.’ He’s done it every week. He just plays with such a confidence.”

Orlando’s confidence in Brown was rewarded. Brown started against Louisiana Tech and has remained a starter in all four of Texas’ games. He recorded six tackles against the Bulldogs, six tackles against LSU, and six tackles against Oklahoma State.

He also hauled in his second career interception, picking off OSU’s Spencer Sanders in the fourth quarter. After three seasons of waiting to become a starter, Brown made the most of his chance.

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “I just put it in God’s hands and remained faithful. Just keep your faith and know things will eventually work out for you if you keep working.”

Brown gained the respect of both his coaches and his teammates. Orlando said Brown was “becoming a captain-like guy,” even if he didn’t have a “C” patch on his uniform. Jones, his fellow DB, wasn’t surprised by Brown’s quality of play.

“All he needed was a chance,” Jones said Sept. 17. “He’s been able to get that chance, and he’s showed a lot this year.”

Brown, a youth and community studies major, plans to graduate in December.