Boise State’s newest recruit turned down big schools. He’s part of a UFC family
Boise State offensive coordinator Nate Potter requires toughness and grit in the tight end room, expecting those players to prioritize pass protection and blocking as much as they do catching the ball and making big plays.
The program’s latest commitment seems as though he’ll fit the bill.
Keawe Browne, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior from Corona, California, announced his commitment to Boise State on Tuesday evening. A three-star tight end who also played edge in high school, Browne turned down offers from Texas, USC and UCLA, among other schools, to become a Bronco.
As for his background? He’s the son of former UFC heavyweight fighter Travis Browne, and his stepmom is none other than UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey.
“I think I’m a very hard worker,” Browne told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday, showing the confidence of a teenager whose parents are world-renowned fighters.
“For a tight end, I’m a good receiver, route running and using my body,” Browne continued. “But I’m also not scared to block. Some tight ends, if they’re more route runners, they don’t like to block, (but) I’m more than willing.”
Browne was in attendance for Boise State’s 47-14 win over App State last weekend and also visited campus last spring, a few months after the program initially offered him a scholarship.
Redshirt sophomore tight end Matt Wagner was his host for the weekend. Wagner has become a bigger part of the offense this season and will be the likely starter next year with the departure of redshirt senior Matt Lauter.
Along with Browne enjoying how much Boise State seemed to “value” him, it was the opportunity for immediate playing time that was appealing.
“I have a better chance of playing (at Boise State) as a true freshman than I do in most other spots. And development-wise … I feel like I’m more able to produce at Boise than I am with all the other schools,” he said. “And I feel like they value me a lot more than all these other schools.”
Browne was born just a year before his father began his professional fighting career, which lasted until 2017, ending with an 18-7-1 record. Rousey has been a part of his life since he was 7. She has been a UFC and WWE champion multiple times, and became the first female inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Therefore, his win-now, impress-now attitude probably should come as no surprise.
“My attitude is basically, like my dad, you gotta go in there and kind of say, ‘.... I’m the best player on this field, no one’s gonna stop me,’” Brown said. “I’ve done all this training, everything I need to do, just so I can kill you out there.”
