Ole Miss offensive lineman Terrell Brown may be the biggest Rebel player ever at 6-foot-11, compared to 5-foot-8 receiver Richie Contartesi. Brown's extreme size has drawn plenty of attention.
If it wasn't for the presence of former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, Terrell Brown would be the most talked-about walk-on at Ole Miss.
As it is, Brown has gotten his share of attention, and that's something to which he's grown accustomed.
When you're 6-foot-11 on a football field, people talk about you.
"Everywhere I go, somewhere people come up and talk to me," says Brown, a sophomore who last played at Mississippi Delta Community College two years ago.
When the curious approach Brown, they find a young man of pleasant demeanor, even if they have to strain their necks to engage him.
Brown's height would not be so out of place on a basketball court, but when you consider he has often carried more than 400 pounds, he becomes a different sort of physical presence. He is believed to be the largest player ever for the Rebels.
Because of his size, news of Brown's arrival earlier this month quickly reached the Internet where Rivals.com said, "Terrell Brown may be the largest football player you've ever seen."
"I know I've never had a 6-11 guy. He's my first," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said.
The bigger question for Nutt is what - if anything - to do with Brown this season. He has practiced with the field goal unit and field goal block unit.
"Where he could help us is in goal-line situations. You go some unbalanced and add another lineman out there, and you're talking about real unbalanced. Oh my gosh," Nutt said.
Physically, Brown can get in his stance and move from Point A to Point B, but Nutt said, "to ask him to block or pass protect is not fair."
Successful offensive linemen play low to the ground, and the biggest problem for someone so big is to become so small.
Offensive line coach Mike Markuson was concerned upon Brown's arrival of the player's ability to bend and to get as low as necessary.
There's been some improvement in that area, but not enough to believe Brown, who is listed as a tackle, will help along the line of scrimmage this season.
He got a snap or two in last Saturday's scrimmage, but they weren't productive enough for him to stay in the game.
"He does have some natural bending ability, but he needs to work with our strength staff to just get stronger," Markuson said. "If he'll stay with us and just work, he's going to have a chance. This year, probably not, and he knows that, but he's a great kid, and we're pleased as punch that he's here."
Brown weighed 415 pounds when he checked in on Aug. 6 but said he's between 380 and 390 pounds now.
"I've been running around like crazy, and I've lost 25 pounds," he said. "I feel like I'm in shape."
Mentally, he knows he's behind.
"I've got to learn the plays. The other guys have been here longer than me, and they know more. You can't play if you don't know what you're doing."
If the point comes that Brown's flexibility, conditioning, desire and understanding of the offense all intersect, the Rebels could have themselves a pretty good player - in a sport where size does matter.
"I've been pretty big ever since I was in middle school," said Brown, who grew up in Drew. "I left middle school at 6-8, and I just kept going higher and higher and higher."
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