Running Back Derek Brown Meets Prop. 48 Requirements

Derek Brown, a former standout running back for Servite High School, said Saturday that he has met the academic requirements under Proposition 48 and will be eligible to play football this fall at Nebraska.

But that didn’t stop Brown from criticizing the NCAA rule that kept him sidelined his freshman season.

“I hate it,” Brown said of Prop. 48. “I think it’s real stupid.”

The proposition requires incoming freshman athletes to maintain a 2.0 grade-point average in a set of high school core courses and score at least 15 on the American College Test or 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Brown said he has no problem with the academic requirements of the rule, but he objects to paying to take the tests.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “The SAT and the ACT are just trying to get your money. You could be a 4.0 student and you could still get a low score on the test.

“The tests have nothing to do with your schoolwork. I totally dislike them. They should go by how you did in school.”

Brown took the SAT twice last year and failed to score 700. He said he scored 19 on the ACT in his second attempt recently. He received his test score last week.

Athletes who fail to meet either requirements of Prop. 48 must forfeit a year of eligibility or pay for their own tuition the first year of college.

Brown said he will have four years of eligibility at Nebraska because he’s attending school part time and paying his own tuition by working for a local plumber.

“I’ve been on my own, taking care of myself,” Brown said. “I found out it wasn’t very easy, either. Maturity-wise, the layoff has helped me a lot. I’ve learned that there’s a lot of responsibility out there.”

Brown, who will declare a major in electrical engineering when he begins going to school full time this summer, said he’s in playing form even though he hasn’t played since the Shrine All-Star game last summer.

“I have to work on my agility a little bit,” he said. “But my strength is better than before because I’ve been working so hard in the weight room.”

Brown, 5-feet-11 and 180 pounds, said he will continue working out through the spring and summer. Spring football practice starts in April, but NCAA rules require Brown to sit out the entire school year.

He said he has no plans of redshirting next season even though the Cornhuskers return five experienced running backs.

“Coach (Tom) Osborne said I should fit in right behind Leodis Flowers,” Brown said. “He’s No. 1 and I’m No. 2.”

Brown earned prep All-American honors and was named the top high school football player in Southern California in 1988. During his senior season, he gained 2,301 yards in 13 games, establishing an Orange County single-season rushing mark. He scored 30 touchdowns and averaged 8.5 yards a carry.

He finished his three-year career at Servite with 4,663 yards rushing, second on the county’s all-time list to Valencia’s Ray Pallares (5,398 yards).

NCAA rules also require Brown to re-sign a letter of intent with Nebraska by the Feb. 14 national signing date. He originally chose Nebraska over USC.

“It’s great to get all this behind me,” Brown said. “I don’t want to sign any more letters of intent after this one.”