Kicker Brandon Brown: A DVC treat with tricks

After Diablo Valley College kicker Brandon Brown is finished with football practice, the sophomore will draw from his soccer background and try some trick shots.
His go-to magic feat is to spin the football on the ground with a flick of the foot and then boot it between the goalposts from the sideline near the goal line.
"It was a pretty amazing shot," DVC coach Mike Darr says. "It's one of those videos, I think if we throw it up on something it ends up going viral."
Brown, a 2012 California High graduate and former Chico State soccer player, says he got the idea by watching similar feats in videos. He decided to try to improve on them.
“Usually I would do it from the 30-yard line to make it a 40-yard field goal, which is pretty cool because after spinning like that it’s super-hard," Brown says. "But they were practicing, so I just did it from the sideline and tried curving it in.”
In his second season at DVC, Brown is an excellent kicker in a traditional football sense. He is interested in transferring to a Division II program because he would have two more years of eligibility at that level.
Darr knows better than to expect a return when Brown rips kickoffs in special teams practice. He was nearly 50 percent in kicks for touchbacks last season. At California High, Brown says he set a school record in touchbacks after being recruited onto the team as a senior.
And if the Vikings ever need to fake a kick and throw a pass, Brown is capable of handling that trickery as well. He is a superb all-around athlete who can dunk a basketball with authority.
"He's a phenomenal kicker and really special athlete," Darr said. "He's got one of the strongest arms on the team."
-- Matt Schwab