Largo Star Quarterback Healthy, Ready to Shine

This coming football season could be a pivotal one for quarterback Juwan Brown.

When this season ends, Brown could be one of the nation's top prospects, or he could just be one of hundreds of quarterbacks who struggles to reach his full potential.

Quarterbacking one of the state's top programs, Brown burst onto the scene. Largo coach Rick Rodriguez turned to Brown late in the season when his team had already gone through three other quarterbacks, who couldn't get the job done either due to grades, transfers or injuries.

Starting a freshman quarterback on a soon-to-be playoff team is dangerous, but Rodriguez's move proved smart. In no time Brown began slicing the air with bombs and leaving would-be tacklers in the dust.

In the first round of the playoffs, Largo tore apart Hillsborough 24-3 when Brown went crazy, at one point tossing two touchdowns of 11- and 24-yards in less than two minutes.

After the game, legendary Terriers coach Earl Garcia, who began his coaching career in Pinellas County, was awestruck with Brown.

“That kid has all the parts,” Garcia said. “If he continues to develop, he may be the best quarterback that’s played in Pinellas County, ever.”

But that has been the problem. Brown is injury prone.

"I've haven't been healthy for a full season since I got to high school," Brown said.

His freshman year, Brown often had fluid drained from his left knee. Last year, his sophomore year, Brown tore the meniscus and a stress fracture in his right knee, ending his season.

Now, Brown has declared himself recovered and is ready to lead the Packers (and himself) to greatness, so long as he can keep healthy.

"It was real bad," Brown said of his right knee injury.

But it could have been worse, much worse. Brown spent the winter rehabbing his knee with Largo team trainers.

"It was just like working out, but I had to put a lot more effort into it," Brown said. "We'd lift [weights] and after that we'd come out to the field and run around and do agility drills."

This took place each weekday until just recently. The timing was almost too perfect.

"About three weeks ago," Brown said is when he began to feel normal again. Ironically, it was just a week before spring practice began.

Brown is a quiet and unassuming young man. While many players would bask among all the accolades and complements on how great they are, Brown isn't like that at all. In fact, the cavalcade of compliments he gets seems to annoy Brown.

"I try not to listen to all of that, I try not to let it get to my head," Brown said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just want to go out and play and get better.

"We have a lot of potential."