There is no telling where Kristopher Brown might be found on the field for the McAdams Bulldogs this season.
He might line up at quarterback one play and wide receiver the next. He could be the running back or the wing back. It would not be a surprise if he is used to return punts or kicks.
Whatever the Bulldogs need to do to get the speedy junior the football, they will, making Brown the latest addition to The Star-Herald Top 10 Players to Watch for the upcoming football season.
Brown is coming off a monster sophomore season in which totaled 1,272 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also recorded 207 yards receiving on five catches.
“We move him around to give people trouble,” McAdams head coach Jim Risen said. “He may play some running back, wing back, quarterback. We will move him around to where we can get him the football.
“You want him to touch the ball in space as many times as you can.”
Brown has already established himself as one of the Class 1A premier speedsters. Brown finished second in the Class 1A 100-meter dash last year, despite slipping at the start of the race.
This summer, Brown attended a combine at Belhaven where he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash, which put him in elite company.
“It was a good experience,” Brown said. “We had a lot of stretches and learned how to get into a stance at receiver, and get out of that stance. They taught you how to come off the line in the 40, to stay low through the first 10 yards and then come off high, but run five yards past so you finish strong.
“The first time, they asked if I could run again, so I went and ran it again. After I ran it the second time, the coaches looked at the clock and showed it to the head coach.”
Brown helped lead a resurgence in McAdams football last year when the team reached the Class 1A playoffs for the first time in 30 years.
“He’s a country kid and really down to earth,” Risen said. “He has some good leadership skills about him. He makes others play hard around him. He doesn’t like losing and the other kids play hard around him. He’s a big part of our football program.”
Brown said last year was tough, but rewarding at the same time.
"It was a tough season; I’m not going to lie,” Brown said. “We had a lot of games where we had to find each other. Through it all, we had to find leadership for each other. We had to stand up for each other.
“After we started doing that, everything came together. We played together and made the playoffs together.”
Now that Brown and his teammates have gotten a taste of the playoffs, they have bigger goals for the upcoming season.
“I want to go to the championships,” Brown said. “I want to go there bad and show my momma and my family that I can do it. That’s what I come here for every day.
“It’s going to take a lot of discipline and picking up after your mistakes. We are going to make mistakes, you just can’t let it get you down. You have to try it again and pick it up.”
Brown is 5-foot-8 and 164 pounds, but is still growing, according to Risen. Risen believes the the speedster will have a chance to play college football somewhere.
“With his speed—and he’s not through growing—that’s for sure that he can play somewhere,” Risen said. “We are trying to get a little bulk on him, and he will be just a junior this year. So, he has two more years to grow and get bigger.
“He’s just so fast, I think somebody is going to take a chance on him.”
This summer, during 7-on-7 drills, Risen has put Brown on defense, generally against the opposing team’s best player. In a practice against Kosciusko, Brown was paired up against 6-foot-4 Mississippi State commit Antonio Harmon.
“He’s going to have to play somewhere on defense,” Risen said. “We’ve been getting him as much work as we can at cornerback this summer. I thought he held his own against Harmon at Kosciusko. And he scored several touchdowns against them. You could really see his speed flash that day.”
