Davion Brown Best Football Player in Virginia

Davion Brown (6-1, 200) is the best football player in the Commonwealth. Of course, this is my opinion, and I was hesitant to make the claim before the year started, but I have no such convictions now.

Brown is a Rivals 4-star and is ranked the #7 overall player according to the Rivals consensus ranking. ESPN has him ranked 4th in the state, while 247 has him 5th. However, my opinions have differed from the Rivals national analyst since I started watching recruits in 2006.

What makes my opinion different from most national analysts is actually watching games in person, especially in big games. Although I do attend national camps like Under Armour, my focus with VirginiaPreps is prospects in the State. Of the top 18 consensus prospects playing football in Virginia, I have watched 17 in person at some point during their high school careers. Most importantly, I get to watch situations to see who makes the biggest impact on winning. It is this metric that puts Brown at the top of my list.

1st High School game

I attended his 1st high school game against Benedictine, who Trinity Episcopal defeated for the State title in 2021. The teams met in the season opener, and Trinity Episcopal defeated Benedictine on the road 21-7. Brown caught three passes for 44 yards, but all three receptions resulted in touchdowns.

2022 Trinity Episcopal vs Benedictine

Brown finished his freshman year with 928 yards receiving on 41 catches with 11 touchdowns while helping the Titans to their 2nd straight VISAA State title. Brown said he knew he could make an impact right away.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” he said. “I knew what I was capable of, and I just had to show everyone what I could do. I was happy that I got to go on an undefeated season with the group of guys we had, and I was blessed that the outcome was a state championship.”

Last year, as a junior, Brown caught 42 passes for 946 yards and 10 touchdowns while sharing the outside with a Power 4 receiver.

Superman in Green

In this year’s season finale, Trinity Episcopal needed to beat the state’s #2 team, undefeated 2-time state champion Benedictine, to secure the #1 seed and home-field advantage. The Titans led 20-0 thanks to two touchdowns from Brown, including a 72-yard reception, but Benedictine played like the 2-time defending champs they are and came back to take the lead.

The Titans forced a punt, and Benedictine kicked it out of bounds to keep it away from Brown. The punt went out at the 4-yard line with 56 seconds left on the clock. Sophomore Deacon Skogen threw a short slant pass across the middle, and Brown did the rest, running for a 96-yard touchdown. For him to score that touchdown against one of the top defenses in Virginia just proves “Fatrat” is on another level.

NFL Kid

Trinity Episcopal trailed 21-20 with less than a minute to go. In the previous series, after losing the lead, the Titans didn’t feed their star and had a 4-and-out. Brown appeared to be a little surprised at the play calling, but didn’t make a scene.

There are a few select prospects I label as NFL after watching them as freshmen, and Brown was one of those. I usually validate my statement by asking former NFL pros. I asked 8-year NFL Vet Wali Rainer if the freshman Brown was a potential NFL player. He said back in 2022 that Brown was a “phenomenal young man, gifted 4.4 guy, … pressure privileged. He has what it takes.”

Record Books

Last month, Brown made history when he set the all-time career receiving yards record for the Richmond/Central Virginia area. He has lined up in the pistol formation more this season and has 28 carries for 270 yards and eight touchdowns heading into the playoffs. He has only 21 receptions this year, but an astonishing 26.5 yards per catch, along with eight touchdowns. He has also returned two kicks for touchdowns.

Brown was my Private Schools’ Mid-Season Offensive Player of the Year and will almost assuredly be my offensive MVP when I post my VirginiaPreps All-State team later this month. I usually hear from the Gatorade committee for the Gatorade Virginia State Player of the Year, and a Trinity Episcopal State title will help cement my choice.

While I will miss watching him in person at the high school level, I’m sure all the Titans’ opponents who have faced him over the past four years will be happy to see him go.