Brown's comeback story serves as inspiration to UConn football team

Sep. 14—STORRS — UConn coach Jim Mora was at his youth football camp in June when a tall, slender young man named Rayonte Brown walked up to him to say hello.

Mora didn't know who he was. The Huskies' coach, who was in his seventh month on the job at the time, thought he was talking to one of Dan Hurley's basketball players based on his 6-foot-7 frame and "rail thin" physique.

But Brown was one of his offensive lineman.

The redshirt sophomore arrived at UConn at 255 pounds. But by June, his weight had dipped below 200 due to a lower intestinal problem that worsened over time.

Brown's health issues began in December, when he struggled to keep food down and maintain his weight. After an emergency room visit in Hartford, he learned the intestinal issues required surgery.

He underwent the surgery to untangle his intestines, which had become intertwined. Due to complications, he had a second surgery two days after the first one.

Brown spent two and a half weeks in the hospital. His family came up from Maryland after his first surgery and stayed with him until he returned home. While he was recovering, he received regular texts and phone calls from his teammates, who provided updates on the team and on their personal lives.

(Football) was on my mind the whole time," Brown said Tuesday after practice at the Shenkman Center. "As I was laid out, I was just waiting for my opportunity to get back here. Being away from the guys for that long time was really hard on me. I'm just happy to be back and I'm glad I'm still part of this team."

His weight plummeted by more than 85 pounds. He put his education on hold, missing the second semester of the 2021-22 school year. Months of recovery followed his hospital stay before he eventually returned to football over the summer.

Brown had an almost entirely new coaching staff when he arrived in Storrs.

"I felt like I was coming back for my freshman year again," Brown said. "I knew he wasn't gonna really recognize me because the last time he'd seen me I was bigger."

He switched to tight end and added another chapter to his comeback story last Saturday when he earned his first career start against Syracuse at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

"For him to fight back the way he has is just so inspirational and then to find his way into the starting role last week was, I mean, I'm beyond words to think about what he did," Mora said. "So he earned it and worked for it. He endured some serious hardships, he spent a lot of time in the hospital. I'm sure he had doubts, but he came back strong."

Brown did not record any offensive statistics but utilized the blocking skills he developed at his former position. He is listed as the second-string tight end for the Huskies' game at Michigan Saturday and will likely play a similar role.

"This guy is an NFL offensive tackle in my opinion," Mora said. "He will grow back into that over time."

Brown was recruited by former head coach Randy Edsall as a two-star defensive lineman out of Dundalk High in Baltimore and redshirted as a freshman in 2019. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, he played 10 games on the offensive line in 2021.

Brown is determined to work hard and return to his pre-surgery weight of about 290 pounds. He changed his whole diet, eating healthier.

"It feels great (to hear that I could make it to the NFL)," Brown said, "especially coming from (Mora) knowing his history and where he's been at. Just knowing that he has that trust in me to get back to where I was at, and being able to play again under him is just a blessing. ... Ask anybody about me, I've been a fighter my whole life. I had a goal to get back here, to get back to fighting with the team. That's all I was thinking about was just getting back."

Brown credits the support of his family and teammates with helping him persevere through his health scare.

"I'm just blessed to be alive right now," Brown said, "Just, I feel great. And I'm 100% healthy."

Carter among nation's leaders in rushing

Sophomore running back Nate Carter is third in the country in rushing yards (384) and eighth in rushing yards per game (128.0).

"He's a tough runner," Mora said. "He's going to get everything out of every single play. ... He maximizes every single play. That's what good football players do. He's certainly a dependable young man who's a lot of fun to be around and coach."

The 5-foot-9, 196-pounder from Rochester, New York, ran for a career-high 190 yards on 20 carries in the Huskies' season-opening loss to Utah State and added 123 yards on 23 carries in their victory over Central Connecticut State the next week.

Carter recorded 71 yards on 16 carries last week against Syracuse. He has also caught four passes for 30 yards.

Brewton having surgery today

Backup running back Brian Brewton, who who broke a finger in pregame warmups and fractured his elbow during the game against Syracuse, will have surgery today and miss the remainder of the season.

The 5-foot-7, 173-pound sophomore from Miami, Florida, ran the ball 15 times for 80 yards and caught five passes for 25 yards this season.

The Huskies have lost a number of key contributors to serious injuries.

Wide receiver Cam Ross was sidelined for the season after breaking his foot in the final week of fall camp. Keelan Marion, another dynamic weapon on the outside, hauled in Turner's first collegiate touchdown pass against Utah State but broke his collar bone on the play. He is out indefinitely.

Ta'Quan Roberson, who won the four-man competition for the starting quarterback job in fall camp, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the first quarter against Utah State.

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