Photo by: Caleb Saunders
Despite 1,000-Yard 2020, WVU’s Leddie Brown Seeking More in 2021
April 05, 2021 05:00 PM | Football, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Leddie Brown believes there is still plenty of room for improvement in 2021. That's one of the big reasons why he chose to return for his senior season at WVU.
"I had many talks with my mom and my family, coach (Neal) Brown and coach (Chad) Scott on either staying or going (to the NFL)," Brown said last week. "We all decided the best thing for me is to stay just because I have to work on the little things like breaking down defenses, recognizing defenses, route running and catching the ball.
"I want to show NFL scouts that I can do that and that I can be a big-league back in the NFL," he said.
Last year, Brown showed everyone that he's a big-league college back.
He became just the fourth WVU runner since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012 to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season - but his 1,000 yards came in only 10 games. If you projected his rushing output over a normal 13-game season that total swells to more than 1,300 yards.
This fall, he's looking to become the eighth runner in school history to achieve consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and only the second to do so in Big 12 play.
Brown is 24th in career rushing right now and needs 148 to pass Dwyane Woods' 1,970 to crack the top 20. Another 1,000-yard season in 2021 will put Brown in the school's top six, trailing only WVU heavyweights Avon Cobourne, Pat White, Noel Devine, Amos Zereoue and Steve Slaton.
Two years ago, when West Virginia was forced to completely rebuild its offensive line, it was questionable if Brown was going to get 1,000 yards for his career. After gaining 446 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry during a promising freshman campaign in 2018, his output slipped to 367 yards and 3.4 yards per carry as a sophomore.
There were many instance that season when Brown had to make a great run just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Consequently, a lot of time and effort was put into improving West Virginia's ground game last year, and what resulted was Brown's breakthrough season.
He had 123 yards in the season opener against Eastern Kentucky and added 104 tough yards in a road loss at Oklahoma State. His two best games were a career-high 195 yards in a 38-17 victory over Kansas that included an 87-yard touchdown run in the second half and a 156-yard effort in a home victory over TCU.
Brown also caught 31 passes for 202 yards and two scores to account for more than 120 yards per game from scrimmage. That puts him among the top returning backs in the Big 12 and also makes him one of top returning backs in the country.
One recent online listing of the top returning backs had Leddie ranked eighth among its top 20, joining Iowa State's Breece Hall, Texas' Bijan Robinson, Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn and Tennessee transfer Eric Gray, who is now playing at Oklahoma.
The Sooners also have 2019 1,000-yard rusher Kennedy Brooks, who opted out for the 2020 season. Those are the Big12 running backs everyone is going to be talking about this summer, which doesn't really mean much to Leddie.
"I'm not the type of person that feeds into all of that," he admitted. "I just worry about myself, my family and reaching my goals."
Which are?
"To prove people wrong, as simple as that," he explained. "I'm here to show people that I'm one of the best backs in the Big 12, if not the best back in the Big 12."
Brown and Hall are probably the two best in the league at getting yards after contact. There were many instances last year when Leddie's physical running made something out of nothing. If you don't have time to watch his YouTube highlights, just glance at the stat sheet and see what West Virginia's other running backs produced in 2020.
Brown is reminiscent of Quincy Wilson in terms of size, power and speed. Arm tackles did not bring down Wilson when he starred for the Mountaineers in the early 2000s, and they don't bring down Brown today.
Leddie says he studies standout NFL running backs Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones. Not surprisingly, Kamara stands 5-feet-10 and weighs 215, while Jones is 5-feet-8 and 207 pounds. Brown is listed at 6-foot, 212 pounds on the WVU online team roster.
"I really like how (Kamara) plays with his patience and explosion, catching the ball out of the backfield," Brown said. "Aaron Jones is another back that I pay attention to and try and mimic my run game after."
Neal Brown said the goal this spring is to come up with more creative ways of getting Leddie the football in space. Brown's 31 catches are the most among those top returning Big 12 backs, and improving his all-around game is going to make Leddie more appealing to pro scouts a year from now.
His pass catching and ball skills are what can really set Leddie Brown apart from some of the others.
"His growth as a pass catcher from out of the backfield and out wide is something we've really spent a lot of time on," Neal Brown said. "A lot of the skills and techniques our receivers use he's doing those and is starting to master them. He's spent a lot of individual time with the wideouts, and you can tell that."
Neal Brown also credits veteran running backs coach Chad Scott with accelerating Leddie's growth and development over the last couple of seasons.
"If you look at Leddie's progression since 2018 as a player to how he played last fall, he's an all-around back. He can play every down," Brown said while specifically citing his improved patience setting up blocks and running through tacklers once he gets into the open field. "He's extremely decisive, and his ability to break tackles is what makes him elite.
"He's put a lot of work in," the coach added. "He has championship-level practice habits, which has helped establish him on the field. I really believe Chad Scott has done a great job with him, and I think Leddie will back that up as well."
"Catching the ball more will catch the eye of the NFL scouts," Leddie explained. "That's what they're looking for in backs – backs that can do it all, run, catch, block and that's what I'm trying to show them I can do."
Scott's message to Leddie Brown is to prove himself every day – prove those right who say he can and prove those wrong who say he can't.
"Every day I step in our position meeting room he tells me 'prove them wrong.' That's my main focus for this season," Leddie concluded.
West Virginia resumes spring practice work Wednesday morning. This year's Gold-Blue Spring Game will take place inside Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, April 24 and tickets are now on sale through WVUGAME.com.
"I had many talks with my mom and my family, coach (Neal) Brown and coach (Chad) Scott on either staying or going (to the NFL)," Brown said last week. "We all decided the best thing for me is to stay just because I have to work on the little things like breaking down defenses, recognizing defenses, route running and catching the ball.
"I want to show NFL scouts that I can do that and that I can be a big-league back in the NFL," he said.
Last year, Brown showed everyone that he's a big-league college back.
He became just the fourth WVU runner since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012 to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season - but his 1,000 yards came in only 10 games. If you projected his rushing output over a normal 13-game season that total swells to more than 1,300 yards.
This fall, he's looking to become the eighth runner in school history to achieve consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and only the second to do so in Big 12 play.Brown is 24th in career rushing right now and needs 148 to pass Dwyane Woods' 1,970 to crack the top 20. Another 1,000-yard season in 2021 will put Brown in the school's top six, trailing only WVU heavyweights Avon Cobourne, Pat White, Noel Devine, Amos Zereoue and Steve Slaton.
Two years ago, when West Virginia was forced to completely rebuild its offensive line, it was questionable if Brown was going to get 1,000 yards for his career. After gaining 446 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry during a promising freshman campaign in 2018, his output slipped to 367 yards and 3.4 yards per carry as a sophomore.
There were many instance that season when Brown had to make a great run just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Consequently, a lot of time and effort was put into improving West Virginia's ground game last year, and what resulted was Brown's breakthrough season.
He had 123 yards in the season opener against Eastern Kentucky and added 104 tough yards in a road loss at Oklahoma State. His two best games were a career-high 195 yards in a 38-17 victory over Kansas that included an 87-yard touchdown run in the second half and a 156-yard effort in a home victory over TCU.
Brown also caught 31 passes for 202 yards and two scores to account for more than 120 yards per game from scrimmage. That puts him among the top returning backs in the Big 12 and also makes him one of top returning backs in the country.
One recent online listing of the top returning backs had Leddie ranked eighth among its top 20, joining Iowa State's Breece Hall, Texas' Bijan Robinson, Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn and Tennessee transfer Eric Gray, who is now playing at Oklahoma.
The Sooners also have 2019 1,000-yard rusher Kennedy Brooks, who opted out for the 2020 season. Those are the Big12 running backs everyone is going to be talking about this summer, which doesn't really mean much to Leddie.
"I'm not the type of person that feeds into all of that," he admitted. "I just worry about myself, my family and reaching my goals."
Which are?
"To prove people wrong, as simple as that," he explained. "I'm here to show people that I'm one of the best backs in the Big 12, if not the best back in the Big 12."
Brown and Hall are probably the two best in the league at getting yards after contact. There were many instances last year when Leddie's physical running made something out of nothing. If you don't have time to watch his YouTube highlights, just glance at the stat sheet and see what West Virginia's other running backs produced in 2020.
Brown is reminiscent of Quincy Wilson in terms of size, power and speed. Arm tackles did not bring down Wilson when he starred for the Mountaineers in the early 2000s, and they don't bring down Brown today.
Leddie says he studies standout NFL running backs Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones. Not surprisingly, Kamara stands 5-feet-10 and weighs 215, while Jones is 5-feet-8 and 207 pounds. Brown is listed at 6-foot, 212 pounds on the WVU online team roster.
"I really like how (Kamara) plays with his patience and explosion, catching the ball out of the backfield," Brown said. "Aaron Jones is another back that I pay attention to and try and mimic my run game after."
Neal Brown said the goal this spring is to come up with more creative ways of getting Leddie the football in space. Brown's 31 catches are the most among those top returning Big 12 backs, and improving his all-around game is going to make Leddie more appealing to pro scouts a year from now.
His pass catching and ball skills are what can really set Leddie Brown apart from some of the others.
"His growth as a pass catcher from out of the backfield and out wide is something we've really spent a lot of time on," Neal Brown said. "A lot of the skills and techniques our receivers use he's doing those and is starting to master them. He's spent a lot of individual time with the wideouts, and you can tell that."
Neal Brown also credits veteran running backs coach Chad Scott with accelerating Leddie's growth and development over the last couple of seasons.
"If you look at Leddie's progression since 2018 as a player to how he played last fall, he's an all-around back. He can play every down," Brown said while specifically citing his improved patience setting up blocks and running through tacklers once he gets into the open field. "He's extremely decisive, and his ability to break tackles is what makes him elite.
"He's put a lot of work in," the coach added. "He has championship-level practice habits, which has helped establish him on the field. I really believe Chad Scott has done a great job with him, and I think Leddie will back that up as well."
"Catching the ball more will catch the eye of the NFL scouts," Leddie explained. "That's what they're looking for in backs – backs that can do it all, run, catch, block and that's what I'm trying to show them I can do."
Scott's message to Leddie Brown is to prove himself every day – prove those right who say he can and prove those wrong who say he can't.
"Every day I step in our position meeting room he tells me 'prove them wrong.' That's my main focus for this season," Leddie concluded.
West Virginia resumes spring practice work Wednesday morning. This year's Gold-Blue Spring Game will take place inside Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, April 24 and tickets are now on sale through WVUGAME.com.
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