Rio Linda running back Marcel Brown recently visited BYU to take in the sights and sounds of Cougar football. The Rio Linda running back, who is currently investigating the LDS faith, had much to say about his visit.

Rio Linda High School (Rio Linda, CA) running back Marcel Brown had quite the season his junior year. The 6-0, 205-pound member of the 2015 recruiting class put up some impressive numbers last year.
“I mostly play running back and I run hard and I play strong but I’m looking to get even stronger,” said Brown. “Last season I had over 2,000 yards rushing and over 20 touchdowns.”
With scholarship offers from Arizona, Arkansas State, Eastern Washington, Hawaii, and Idaho, Brown is well on his way. He recently visited BYU when the Cougars hosted the Virginia Cavaliers.
“It was really exciting seeing the game and seeing the crowd and all that,” said Brown. “We got to see the team and go down on the field and get a closer look while they were warming up. It was fun.”
For Brown, the best part of his visit was seeing BYU up close and personal while sitting among the faithful fans of BYU.
“I would say the most exciting part about being out there at the time was seeing the team play,” Brown said. “That was a lot of fun, and then being out there in that stadium with the crowd being loud. The way the fans are there just made the game that much better.”
Brown had one specific moment of the Virginia game that stood out to him.
“The highlight of the game for me was when number 28 [Adam Hine] ran back that touchdown during a kickoff,” said Brown. “That was a great play and he made on special teams and really helped BYU win the game.”
While Brown was able to take in the ambiance of LaVell Edwards Stadium, along with some areas of the campus, he wasn’t able to see much of the other football facilities located on campus.
“I got to see some of the campus, but I wasn’t able to really see much of the facilities other than being at the stadium,” said Brown. “We were kind of in a rush because I had to get back to the airport and on my plane. I kind of had to cut it short.”
Because of the short nature of the visit, Brown also wasn’t able to visit with or speak directly with the coaches of BYU. He did, however, spend time with BYU Director of Player Personnel Geoff Martzen, who has been doing a fantastic job recruiting Brown.
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to any of the coaches afterwards,” Brown said. “I did talk to my recruiter, Geoff Martzen, while I was there, and we didn’t really talk about a scholarship offer at all. We just talked about other things but they are recruiting me.
“Geoff Martzen is fun to talk too. He’s a really is a good recruiter and I like him a lot. He’s the one that’s been working with me throughout this whole process.”
Brown was hoping to get some good news while visiting BYU but the scholarship offer he craves hasn’t materialized just yet.
“Geoff Martzen was telling me that I was an exciting player to watch play and stuff like that,” said Brown. “He said that he watched a bunch of my film and stuff, but as of now I don’t have an offer from BYU. I’m hoping though.”
It’s been a few months now that the staff from BYU has been recruiting and evaluating Marcel Brown, who’s been investigating the LDS religion.
“Well, they’ve been talking to me for a couple of months now,” said Brown. “I’ve been a part of the Mormon church so I’m kind of connected to it. I like the school.”
How did Geoff Martzen and the BYU coaching staff even find out about Brown?
“I don’t really know,” Brown said. “One day I was on Twitter talking about my baptism that was going to come up and all that stuff. BYU started retweeting it and everything and that’s when I started talking to [them].”
Brown was introduced to the LDS faith through the efforts of a very close friend. One day he was invited to attend church, so Brown took him up on the offer to attend.
“One of my friends is Mormon and he was going to church all the time,” said Brown. “One day he told me to come with him, and since [he’s been my best friend my entire life], I went with him and liked it. I took my missionary lessons and I really liked them so it kind of stuck with me.”
Brown was supposed to be baptized as a member of the LDS faith a month ago. However, the services had to be postponed due to an accident in the Brown family.
“I still have to do my baptism,” said Brown. “I was going to do it last month, but that same Sunday my brother got into a bad car accident and was in critical condition. That just kind of messed everything up.”
He is, however, currently working on getting another date set where he can walk into the waters of baptism. He’s planning on setting a date within the next month or so.
“I don’t have a date set yet but I will be getting baptized within the next month or so,” said Brown. “That’s kind of what I’m shooting for right now.”
While Brown works towards his spiritual goals he’ll continue to grind away successfully throughout the rest of the 2014 football season. He’s hoping that when it’s all said and done he’ll be able to add a BYU scholarship offer to his list of choices prior to signing day.
“Well, I’m really hoping that BYU does offer me at some point,” said Brown. “It’s a school that fits me and what I’m looking for, and they have a really good football program and are currently undefeated. I just think it would be a good place for me to play if I have a chance to.”
TotalBlueSports.com will continue to monitor Marcel Brown’s play on the football field and report on when and if he receives the BYU scholarship offer he’s seeking.