Que'Sean Brown's big-play potential key for Virginia Tech's wide receiver corps
BLACKSBURG — There’s a phrase that was ingrained in Que’Sean Brown’s mind the moment he first laced up his cleats and stepped onto a Pop Warner field at the age of 7: “Every time you get the ball you should want to score.”
Those words from his father, Eric, laid a foundation for how Brown approaches each play. Sure, making highlight-reel catches and picking up first downs are good, but being able to score whenever the ball is in your hands can flip momentum in the matter of seconds.
“Once you’ve got that mindset, if you don’t score every time, you’re going to make a big play,” Brown said after a practice last week, “and I feel like that’s what I bring to the table is being a playmaker.”
A playmaker is precisely what Virginia Tech needed at wide receiver. Ayden Greene could only do so much as the primary outside option last season, and Brown’s arrival after two successful seasons at Duke gives Greene and the Hokies a viable second option.
“He’s an experienced college football player, and specifically in the ACC,” Hokies coach James Franklin said. “And he’s a joy to coach. He’s always got a smile on his face. I mess with him all the time. I love coaching the guy. He’s been really good and he helps us. He gives us somebody that can scare the defense and can scare the defensive coordinator from a speed and production standpoint, which we need.”
Virginia Tech wide receiver Que'Sean Brown watches a pass come to his hands during a practice last week in Blacksburg.
Brown enjoyed a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign with Duke by posting 846 yards and five touchdowns on 54 catches. He was part of a dynamic offense that featured quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate.
The Blue Devils defeated Virginia in the ACC championship game and then outlasted Arizona State to win the Sun Bowl. Brown had the game-winning touchdown reception in the win over the Sun Devils.
“During the season I was just focused on the task at hand, which was winning the ACC championship. We got invited to a good bowl,” Brown said. “So taking care of business there, and then after the season was when I sat down with my family and we just talked about it. And ultimately they left the decision up to me and what I wanted to do, and then I went from there.”
Brown ranked second to Barkata in the three major receiving categories but would have been the runaway leader in every category for the Hokies.
Greene led Tech with 516 yards and three touchdowns on 31 receptions.
Granted, both offenses were drastically different with the Hokies primarily relying on the run game with tailback Marcellous Hawkins and quarterback Kyron Drones. Mensah ranked 20th in the nation in passing efficiency, which allowed the Blue Devils to have a balanced attack.
Tech’s offense will have a new look with Franklin and offensive coordinator Ty Howle installing a scheme that will highlight the strengths of Brown and Greene with the quarterback — Ethan Grunkemeyer or Bryce Baker — that emerges as a starter.
“I put in extra work on the daily with them guys, from the film room to the field,” Brown said of working with the quarterbacks. “Just helping that chemistry, because you know, with new teams and transfers and all that, you got to get the timing right. So that’s been a big factor we’ve been working on, and I feel like it’s coming (together) really good and we just keep building on it.”
Mensah and Barkate both transferred to national runner-up Miami. Brown said he only made one visit after entering the transfer portal, and that was to Virginia Tech after wide receivers coach Fontel Mines was the first to contact Brown and stayed in contact with him until his visit.
“Virginia Tech was the first school to hit me up, so I felt, like, really good about that because that shows that they wanted me and had a plan for me,” Brown said. “So, I came up here, saw this nice place and it was kind of hard to leave it.”
Brown’s visit also included an apology from Mines.
Why was an apology necessary? Brown and a teammate at East Forsyth High School visited Virginia Tech for a camp. Brown felt he was going to receive an offer after his camp performance, but the scholarship offer never came.
“I think that was the first thing he said as soon as I arrived at campus. He said, ‘I apologize and I messed up,’” Brown said, “and as a man you can’t do nothing but respect that.”
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Brown was primarily utilized as a slot receiver at Duke. He used the performance in the Sun Bowl to show that he was a viable option as an outside receiver, and the Hokies are planning on finding spots for Brown all over the field.
“He is really quick. He’s really fast. He also has really good ball skills,” Franklin said, “because what happens is if you’re an undersized guy and you don’t have really good ball skills, it makes you smaller. If you’re a fast guy and you don’t have really good ball skills, it makes you slower because you have to slow down and double catch or body catch everything. But he is quick, he is fast. He’s got great energy. He’s a smart guy, which is another thing that impacts speed if you’re thinking too much and you’re not playing fast. He’s picked everything up.”
Virginia Tech wide receiver Que'Sean Brown secures a reception during a practice last week in Blacksburg.
Brown said he always tells himself that he’s 6 foot 1 when he steps on the field. He doesn’t want to simply be viewed as a slot receiver because of his size, and the way he plays mirrors that of a big-time receiver.
That’s exactly what Virginia Tech needs Brown to be this season.
"I just wanted a better opportunity for myself. I wanted to be used in the offense in different ways instead of just a slot,” Brown said. “I wanted to be coached by one of the best coaches, which is Coach James Franklin. I know he gets guys to the next level, and ultimately that’s the goal, and I feel like it was a no-brainer to come here and be coached by Coach Mines and Coach Franklin.”
Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124
