BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 7, 2023 19
He picked off 3 passes in 2021 and has
1 interception this year, but when he
spoke about what Brown means to his
defense, Freeman pointed to something
fans don't usually see.
"DJ is almost like a version of a quar-
terback out there," Freeman said. "He
helps with communication, gets people
lined up."
Asked if Brown was like a quarter-
back for his defenses at St. John's, Casa-
mento replied, "Absolutely."
Casamento remembers reading that
about 85 percent of the explosive plays
in a college football game are caused by
defensive misalignment, meaning a de-
fender lining up wrong. He believes it,
based on more than 20 years of coaching
experience.
Brown, Casamento said, helps pre-
vent that from happening.
"There are 11 guys playing defense,"
Casamento said. "It could be a safety
playing too shallow or too deep. … He
just helps them in ways that he makes
people around them better."
Notre Dame sees it, too. He missed
Week 3 against Central Michigan with
hamstring tightness, but he played 61
snaps against North Carolina State and
66 against Ohio State. Expect that to
be the case moving forward as the Irish
enter the second half of Brown's final
season of eligibility.
"We are a better defense because of DJ
Brown," Freeman said. ✦
Brown missed an opportunity for a game-
changing play when he dropped a potential
interception on Ohio State's go-ahead touch-
down drive, but he doesn't plan to let that
define his final season with the Irish.
PHOTO BY JOSEPH SISSON
