Trent Dilfer pulled Hank Brown aside last fall, before the start of Lipscomb Academy’s season, and delivered a message to his starting quarterback.

Dilfer had seen firsthand the type of quarterback Brown was and how he was progressing at the position throughout his high school career. So, he wanted to make sure Brown knew what he was capable of if he continued on his trajectory as a signal-caller.

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“I told him right before his senior year that if he continued to progress on the track we’re progressing him on, he’ll get drafted,” Dilfer, now the coach at UAB, said Wednesday morning before teeing off at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Hoover.

It was a lofty perch for Dilfer to hoist Brown — at the time committed to Liberty as a three-star prospect — upon, but few coaches have the experience and eye for quarterback evaluations that Dilfer has. He was, after all, the longtime head quarterback coach of the prestigious Elite 11 camp and spent years mentoring and assessing high school quarterbacks.

Brown seemingly took Dilfer’s message to heart, and he followed through with a prolific senior season. He led Lipscomb Academy to a 13-0 record and a Tennessee D2-AA state title while passing for 3,264 yards and 47 touchdowns with a 73.3 percent completion rate last fall.

“He’s phenomenal,” Dilfer said. “His instincts are second to none. This is not about me, but that football team last year in Tennessee is the finest football team to ever play Tennessee high school football. And Hank is a huge reason for that. His ability to solve problems, his ability to distribute the football, handle critical situations, handle a week of pressure and high expectations was just phenomenal.”

After Hugh Freeze left Liberty and took over as Auburn’s coach in late November, Brown backed off his commitment to Liberty. Freeze then wasted little time in extending a scholarship offer to Brown to come to Auburn. Brown visited campus in December and committed to Auburn on the eve of the early signing period, giving the Tigers their quarterback for the 2023 class.

“They got a great recruit,” Dilfer said. “He’s a very talented player, but he’s a better human. He’s one of the finest humans I’ve ever been around; his family is incredible. Work ethic is second to none.”

Brown’s name has hardly been mentioned since Freeze’s early signing day press conference on Dec. 21, since Brown was not an early enrollee and much of the discourse over the last several months has been on the Tigers’ returning quarterbacks — Robby Ashford, Holden Geriner and T.J. Finley (who has since decided to transfer) — and their newest transfer addition, former Michigan State starter Payton Thorne. Considering what Auburn has at quarterback heading into next season, and the fact Brown will arrive this summer, it’s safe to assume he’s on track for a redshirt season this fall.

Just because the focus will be on Auburn’s other quarterbacks, though, Dilfer believes it won’t take Brown long to get noticed upon his arrival on the Plains.

“He’ll know that offense as well as any person in that building after a couple months there,” Dilfer said. “He’ll do the lonely work — the stuff that doesn’t get celebrated, so that he’s prepared.”

Dilfer, who took over at UAB at the end of November, steadfastly believes Brown has a bright future ahead of him and NFL potential. He’s also confident Auburn will help get Brown there, though it’s going to take time, and the 6-foot-4, 195-pounder will need to grow into his frame to have a chance to reach his full potential as a passer.

“He does need to get bigger and stronger, and he knows that,” Dilfer said. “But Auburn has great resources to do that. He’ll get bigger, stronger and fast. He’ll become more of a man here shortly. He has all the skills it takes to become an NFL quarterback.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.