UCA coach ready for opportunities

Nathan Brown has taken advantage of his opportunities.

While speaking at the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s luncheon Monday afternoon at the Embassy Suites, the University of Central Arkansas coach recalled his junior season at Russellville High School when he was a backup quarterback behind Landon Leach.

Doug Loughridge, who was Russellville’s defensive coordinator when Brown was at the school and is now Alma’s head coach, inserted Brown at cornerback. Brown said he had not played defense since his eighth-grade season. Brown’s first game at cornerback was against Fayetteville, which was led by future University of Arkansas track and field star and Olympian Wallace Spearmon at wide receiver.

“Brown, he could probably tackle,” Loughridge said of Brown. “They threw me out there. They lined me up on our sideline the whole night, so that way they

could yell at me what I’m supposed to do.

“I gave enough cushion to Wallace Spearmon. I tackled him. I tackled him over and over again. That’s no knock on Wallace, but I got him that night.

“When your opportunity comes, you make the most of it. I never looked back.”

Brown recorded seven interceptions and earned AllState honors as a junior.

“Don’t ask me how,” he joked.

In December, Steve Campbell left UCA after four seasons to take the South Alabama job. Brown, who was the Bears’ offensive coordinator, was one of the candidates for the head coaching vacancy.

UCA Athletic Director Brad Teague called Brown to tell him about Campbell’s departure. Teague wanted to interview Brown, and Brown accepted.

Brown was hired Dec. 9 by UCA and became one of the youngest coaches in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision at 31. Brown, now 32, was appreciative of the opportunity to become a head coach at his alma mater.

“That’s something I’ve prepared for my whole life,” he said. “I look back at times growing up, with different scenarios and situations playing and coaching. One thing I wanted to make sure he [Teague] knew when we had the conversation was that I wasn’t taking it for granted. He knew I bled purple. There’s no secret that that’s my university, and I take great pride in representing the university.

“I didn’t want to be the convenient choice. I didn’t want to just be the guy that you slot in and say, ‘Oh, Nathan’s here. We can keep this thing going.’ I want to be the guy to take us to the next level. I wanted to be the guy that is a no-brainer where we can go interview anybody across America, but we’re going to come back to Nathan and he’s going to be the guy.

“Being 31 years old and being handed the keys to a big time Division I football program is something I was ready for.”

UCA (5-2, 4-1 Southland Conference), which travels to McNeese State on Saturday, is playing with its third quarterback — redshirt freshman Luke Hales — because of injuries to sophomore Breylin Smith and junior Kirk Baugh.

Brown isn’t using injuries as an excuse for his football team.

“Our expectations aren’t going to change,” Brown said. “It doesn’t matter if Breylin is in, Kirk is in, Luke’s in or BeSean McCray, our fourthstring quarterback, is in. We’re going to develop them and get ready. They’re all on scholarship.”

Brown