Despite being a record-setting quarterback in Tennessee, Hank Brown wasn’t this big-time recruit coming out of high school.

Brown and his pedestrian three-star rating didn’t get him far with many of the “Power 5″ programs in the country — much less the SEC programs.

Pitt, Illinois and UT-Martin were the first three programs to offer Brown, followed by the likes of Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay.

Eventually, Hugh Freeze, still at Liberty at the time, came knocking with an offer for Brown to join the Flames and be developed by he and quarterbacks coach Kent Austin.

On June 16, 2022 — a month after the offer was extend — Brown committed to Liberty. He was confident in what Freeze and Austin could teach him.

“Coach Freeze and Coach Austin have something that not a lot of coaches have,” Brown told reporters on Thursday.

“Coach Freeze, his authenticity is off the charts and that’s something you don’t get in college football. These coaches, they’ll say whatever they want you to hear in recruiting. But Coach Freeze, he’s real and he’ll tell you exactly what he feels. And then with Coach Austin, he’s a one-of-a-kind. He’s, in my mind, the smartest QB coach in all of college football.”

Little did Brown know, his career at Liberty would never come to be as Freeze left the mountains of Lynchburg, Virginia for The Plains of Auburn, leading to Brown decommitting from Liberty just weeks before signing day.

Fortunately, Brown’s high school head coach, Trent Dilfer, had just been hired as the head coach at UAB.

Together, Brown and Dilfer led Lipscomb Academy to a D2-AA Tennessee state title in 2022 as the Mustangs went a perfect 13-0 as Brown piloted the offense with more than 3,200 passing yards and 47 touchdowns on 73% passing.

Familiar with Brown, Dilfer was quick to extend an offer to his former quarterback, who was still in the market for a college program to join.

However, Brown wasn’t quick to jump at the offer as Freeze circled back to the Nashville native — this time representing the Auburn Tigers.

On Dec. 19, one week after he was offered by Dilfer at UAB, Brown was offered an opportunity to play SEC football for Freeze at Auburn.

And that was an opportunity Brown couldn’t help but jump at.

“I think one thing I’ve been taught is to put myself in uncomfortable positions,” Brown said. And that may seem a little odd, obviously, when you’re choosing your college, but playing in the SEC is a different level and that’s something that I wanted to challenge myself with.”

Asked where that mentality came from, Brown revealed that Dilfer was to credit.

“Y’all were talking about coach Dilfer — that’s something he taught me in high school,” Brown said. “He taught me that you don’t grow when you’re comfortable and you have to step out of your comfort zone and get put in positions where you are uncomfortable. And that’s where you grow the most is in those uncomfortable positions.”

Brown knew that going to Auburn would force himself out of his comfort zone, so he signed his letter of intent with the Tigers on Dec. 21, 2022 — just one day after announcing his commitment and just two days after he was offered by Auburn.

And recently, Brown has seen the fruits of Dilfer’s lesson.

On Monday, Freeze announced that Brown would enter the first game of the 2024 season as Auburn’s backup quarterback, meaning the previously over-looked quarterback prospect from Nashville would be next in line to be tossed the keys to the Tigers’ offense behind Payton Thorne.

“It was more motivating, for me,” Brown said of winning the backup spot. “I felt that, obviously for me, that’s not the end goal, but it was definitely good — heading in the right direction. But it was definitely more motivating just to continue to work hard and continue to do what I do.”

Brown says Auburn’s offensive coaches praised him for his efficiency in the pass game — particularly with the deep ball. Meanwhile, Brown is continuing to iron out communicating with the offensive line and getting into the right protections.

Nonetheless, Brown is approaching the 2024 season and his newly appointed “backup” tag with a chip on his shoulder.

“I definitely have a lot to prove. As you said, I wasn’t super highly recruited,” Brown said. “I was headed to Liberty with Coach Freeze, I think they knew.

“But I definitely feel like there’s a lot to prove and a lot that I need to show all of college football what I can do.”