Top-10 Pick Derek Brown on Garner: 'They Got the Best Damn Coach in College Football'

Top-10 Pick Brown on Garner: 'They Got the Best Damn Coach in College Football'

Derrick Brown was recruited by the nation's premier college football programs coming out of high school. He was a consensus five-star recruit with offers to play at virtually any school in the country, but the coveted defensive tackle from Sugar Hill, Ga., chose to leave the state and play for Auburn. Brown's decision to choose Auburn meant he would be playing for Rodney Garner on the defensive line. 

During his time on the plains, Brown lived up to his high school billing. In 53 games, he recorded 170 tackles, including 33.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, racking up multiple individual honors along the way. Following his four-year career at Auburn, the Carolina Panthers selected Brown with the No.7 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

Now, Brown is getting ready for his second season in the NFL, and Garner is preparing for a second stint on Rocky Top. 

Garner, widely known as one of the best developers of talent and elite recruiters in the college game, obviously had a significant impact on Brown during their four years together at Auburn. 

"They got the best damn coach in college football," Brown told Volunteer Country when asked about what Tennessee is getting in Garner. "He will not only grow those guys as football players but as men as well."

Garner would later be made available to the media and was asked about Brown's comment, to which he responded on why it is just as vital to develop players off the field as it is to develop them on the field.

"I look at this as my ministry," Garner said. "I want to pour into these young men. That's the thing that we sell these families. They're going to give me a young man, and I want to give them a man back. We have a holistic approach. Obviously, they all want to play at the next level. If you ask them man for man, that's what you hear. I want them to be good students and get a degree. I want them to be good men off the field. I want them to be good husbands, good fathers and good citizens. We're looking at that. Hopefully, we can develop them spiritually, socially and athletically. I feel like if we can encompass those other areas, then they're going to be good football players. Hopefully, we're targeting the guys who have the skillset and the talent to be able to play at a high level. If we're doing our job as far as developing them in other areas, then they should be very coachable and we should be able to help them achieve their athletic goals along the process."

During his 31-year coaching stint in the SEC, seven of the thirty-one NFL draft picks Garner has coached directly have been selected in the first round.

Brown played in 16 games for the Panthers in 2020, recording 33 total tackles. Brown has also been very active in his off-field work through charity, giving back to the community with COVID relief along with various things.