Carroll To Fort Collins

Joe Brown made his presence known over the course of the 2008 football season by catching over 70 balls for more than 1,000 yards this season -- even while missing the season opener at Heights. The 6'3", 215-pound tight end committed to Colorado State today -- the culmination of a long process. "After my sophomore year, I would get calls from recruiting services and coaches would stop in at school," Brown said. "But this year was by far the most active." Brown's main pursuers were Missouri State University and Colorado State University. He took visits to both CSU and MSU this season, and Colorado State won him over. Brown broke his leg over the summer at KU summer camp. "The campus is beautiful, there are mountains right behind the stadium," Brown said of Fort Collins. "The coaches are all great, I really connected with them and they just started building a new indoor practice facility that will be finished next fall." "It is nice to know that I have school taken care of for next year," Brown said. "Now I can totally focus on school and basketball this year." Brown is not the first Bishop Carroll football player to move on to Colorado State. Carroll alums and former NFL players, Mike and Mark Bell, played their collegiate ball at CSU. It's no surprise that the Bell brothers affected Brown's decision. "I have a ton of respect for the Bell brothers, and both of them were very excited for me and told me how much fun they had there," Brown said. "But they also told me that I needed to do what was right for me. Ultimately, though, the success they had and the men they've become made me want to choose CSU." The Rams finished 7-6 this season and beat Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Brown's final decision was based on Colorado State's Division I status. "I had a tough time choosing between Colorado State and Missouri State," Brown said. "Both had many positives and negatives, but when it really came down to it, I just wanted to play Division I football. That was my goal since I was a kid, and I had the chance, so I had to take it."