AUBURN, Ala. – Whether he's doing defensive line drills or meeting with fellow student-athletes, Derrick Brown is easy to spot, and not just because he's 6-5, 325 pounds.
He'll be the one leading.
The vice president of Auburn's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Brown will serve as SAAC president in 2019-20.
"We're basically the student-athlete voice to the administration when it comes to what community service activities and events we want to do throughout the year," he said.
Brown also serves on the SEC's Student-Athlete Leadership Council.
"The Council allows us to be able to meet with Commissioner [Greg] Sankey and to have a voice as student-athletes," Brown said. "Commissioner Sankey is really big on having student-athletes be able to reach him and speak about any problems they may have, whether it be from an academic standpoint, a compliance standpoint or a sport standpoint."
Brown's leadership and community service efforts attracted attention from the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, which selected Derrick as one of three finalists. The award for exemplary leadership on and off the field will be presented Feb. 12 at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Along with several Auburn teammates, Brown did service projects last summer in the Dominican Republic on a Fellowship of Christian Athletes trip. He's helped build homes with his church and collected Christmas presents for Angel Tree and Toys for Tots.
"It's something I've done growing up," said Brown of his community involvement. "My parents always kept me involved in a lot of things that gave me the opportunity to do things like that."
A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Brown plans to graduate in December in marketing from the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business.
And then there's football. After playing 40 games for the Tigers from 2016-18, Brown was projected to be a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Instead, he's remaining at Auburn for his senior season.
"It definitely wasn't a hard decision," he said. "I felt like we have unfinished business as a team, and it gave me a chance to come back and showcase my leadership skills, and also be able to obtain my degree before I say goodbye to college life."
On the field, Brown has record 115 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and nine sacks, impressive stats that illustrate only part of his impact as a defensive tackle who frequently requires double teams from offensive linemen.
Off the field, his impact is equally significant. A leader, scholar and community servant, Brown recently added another title: father. His son Kai was born Dec. 20.
"It's been really beneficial, just being able to grow up, and take care of my responsibilities," he said.
After football, he's considering a career in politics as a lobbyist. Working for an athletic apparel company is also an option.
Whether he eventually carries the title of politician or business leader, Derrick Brown will leave the Plains with another title: Auburn Man, who delayed NFL riches to earn his degree and lead his team.
"I definitely believe in everything that Auburn stands for," he said. "I believe that it's truly a family atmosphere. I've had people along the way be able to help me reach my potential, not only on the field, but off the field as well, getting me involved in SAAC and the SEC.
"Being able to stand my ground and hold up on that end was big for me because I've always said at the end of the day I don't just want to be considered as a football player, no matter how good or how bad I am."
Derrick Brown during Auburn football mission trip in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic on Saturday, May 12, 2018.Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy means to me:
"The work that he did has given me opportunities. Without the work that he did, I would have never been able to do anything that I've been able to do so far."
"Last year, I was able to meet with Congressman John Lewis. I got a chance to talk to him for a little while and just hear from him about Dr. King. That was awesome. Sitting in the church at night last year at the Peach Bowl and hearing his story, you can't thank them enough for what they went through to give us the opportunities that we have today."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
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