I can rewrite that content in English with completely new wording while preserving all meaning and key details. Here it is:
Bold opening: A former Ohio State quarterback leaves big-name programs and takes a surprising path to Weber State, where loyalty to a coach outweighs money and prestige.
Devin Brown, who previously served as a backup quarterback at Ohio State after stints at Cal, turned down offer after offer in a landscape awash with NIL riches. Schools like Indiana, Boston College, BYU, and Washington pursued him, with some NIL packages reportedly reaching $800,000. Yet Brown chose not to cash in on those opportunities.
Instead, he enrolled at Weber State, an FCS program with a 17,000-seat stadium, accepting a substantial pay cut and a chance to play for less money than he could have earned elsewhere—about $2,000 in NIL dollars versus the six-figure sums offered by other programs.
“It’s a crazy story,” Weber State’s new head coach, Eric Kjar, told Deseret News. What Brown valued most, beyond dollars or status, was reuniting with Kjar, his former high school coach.
“I want to go back, have fun, and play football the way I did when I was with Coach Kjar,” Brown explains.
Kjar—famously warm and hard-nosed—built a reputation in Utah as a high school coaching standout, winning seven state championships across Corner Canyon and Jordan High. He also developed two quarterbacks who were drafted in the first round of the NFL. Although colleges previously tried to lure him to college coaching, he stayed in high school to coach his four children. The offer to become a college head coach, however, proved irresistible this winter, and he accepted Weber State’s job while keeping his children’s team close, as his sons Noah and Tate are now Weber State receivers.
After Kjar’s appointment, Brown congratulated him via text, and their exchanges hinted at a possible move to Weber. Brown ultimately visited Weber State to reconnect with his mentor.
“I hadn’t considered Weber,” Brown recalls. “Several big programs were still recruiting me, but I figured I’d visit Coach Kjar. He didn’t take the idea seriously at first.”
During a one-on-one in Kjar’s office—staring at the stadium and the mountains—Brown and Kjar spoke candidly about the program and the offense, noting its parallels to Brown’s high school system. Brown felt an undeniable pull after the visit: “It’s impossible to say no to someone like him.”
Brown took additional weeks to weigh his path, considering education (he plans to pursue a master’s degree) and football, and consulted his family. When he finally made up his mind, he called Kjar from his California apartment and said, “I’m packing, and I’m driving to Weber tomorrow.” Kjar was thrilled.
Brown’s journey to Weber State marks a reunion with a coach who shaped his early development and who now gives him a fresh stage for a season-long collaboration. Brown grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, where he played for Queen Creek High under Joe Germaine, a former OSU and NFL quarterback. He drew intense college interest and initially committed to USC, but an eligibility issue forced him to leave the state; he eventually sought opportunities in Utah, drawn by a coach he trusted—the one who had helped launch the careers of quarterbacks like Jaxson Dart, who later starred at USC and Ole Miss and competed in the NFL with the New York Giants.
Brown ultimately took the reins at Corner Canyon as Dart had, putting up record-breaking numbers: 4,881 passing yards and 57 touchdowns in his Utah high school season, while completing roughly 70% of his attempts and helping his team win another state title. His performance earned him Utah Player of the Year honors from MaxPreps.
Following a shift in Ohio State’s quarterback depth after the departure of C.J. Stroud, Brown redshirted and later battled for starting duties with Kyle McCord. A sequence of injuries—finger surgery, a torn ankle ligament, and then another ligament tear in his left ankle—intervened, and the eventual starter role shifted to others. He transferred to California for the 2025 season, then entered the transfer portal again and landed at Weber State.
Brown’s NIL earnings at Weber State are modest, just over $2,000, according to multiple sources and Brown himself, a figure he has managed conservatively. “He’s saved up his NIL money,” notes Kjar, praising Brown’s financial discipline. Brown adds that he has not spent any of it, preferring to invest in his future, and he emphasizes that this move is about enjoying football again more than chasing a big paycheck.
Already, Brown has begun informal throwing sessions with Weber State receivers ahead of spring practice; the roster includes several former Corridor Canyon players, including Brown’s likely future teammates Noah and Tate Kjar. Weber State, a university of about 31,000 students near the Wasatch Mountains, offers Brown a final chapter in a collegiate career that has seen him share the field with NFL-caliber talent. His former OSU rivals—Stroud, McCord, and Will Howard—have advanced to the NFL, but Brown’s path remains open, with several FCS quarterbacks having found success in the NFL in recent drafts.
Brown recently met with NFL scouts in Ogden, leaving the door open to a possible pro career, even as he cherishes the chance to reunite with his former mentor. In short, this is a story about loyalty, personal growth, and the gamble of choosing passion and mentorship over money and prestige.
