Brothers... but are they a package?BY JEFFREY MARTINThe Wichita EagleMike Hutmacher/The Wichita EagleSun shines through the windows on the second floor of East High's gym. Fittingly, this is where the photograph will be taken.This was Bryce Brown's idea. The last time he and his older brother, Arthur, were immortalized in a portrait, Bryce felt the image made them appear to be foes.No uniforms this time, Bryce decided."I want a picture where we look like brothers, so people know we're brothers," he said.As if every college football coach in America wasn't aware.The Browns might be Wichita's brightest lights, their radiance extending nationally. Tuesday, Rivals.com, the main arbiter on all recruiting matters, ranked Arthur, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior linebacker, among its pre-evaluation Top 100 and also included him in its junior All-America team.As for Bryce, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound sophomore running back could attract more attention than anyone ever has in Kansas."Bryce is going to be the best kid to come out of Wichita in years," said Jeremy Crabtree, the national recruiting editor for Rivals.com. "What's he's doing is breathtaking. To dominate the way he is, it's amazing. Very rarely do we see kids so young do what he's doing."This -- the photo shoot -- was a package deal.But don't think their recruitment will follow the same rules.• • • Today is college football's signing day, and the Brown family is officially a year away from dealing with its implications. But the process has already begun, and the brothers each react in a different manner, staying true to their personalities.Bryce emerges from the locker room first, looking smooth in a red V-neck sweater, jeans and white slip-on sneakers. It's a very casual look for a very casual young man, who says he can't wait until the summer when the campus tours begin again.He's hoping for a return visit to Norman, where the Browns first burst onto the national scene last summer at the University of Oklahoma's camp. Both brothers insist there is no favorite, no front-runner yet for their services, but Bryce seems smitten with the Sooners.He raves about meeting Adrian Peterson. He pines for a warmer climate, but quickly adjusts and says he'd be fine with somewhere it was "hot and cold." He'd prefer his parents to be able to come watch him play.Asked about what type of offense he'd like to star in, he said, "Something simple -- probably the I."Like OU?He giggles.All of this is fun for Bryce, who spends two hours a night on Facebook.com, the popular social networking Web site. But it's become serious for Arthur, who has already been offered scholarships by Kansas State, Kansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Nebraska, UCLA, Clemson and Florida, the defending national champ."I've been told this is going to be a spiritual and business decision," Arthur said.Maybe that's why he walks up the gym's stairs wearing a tie, slacks and fancy dress shoes.Or maybe that's simply his style."I think the first impression is the best impression to make, and it sticks," he said. "I've always heard that, and I'm going to go with it."The impression he's been allowed to make is through eye contact or a wave of the hand. He has seen the assistants from the big-name schools, but because college coaches can't make contact with juniors until May 1, Arthur has been relying on advice and information from Brian Butler, whom the Browns regard as a mentor. Butler was an All-City running back at Northwest in the early 1990s. He kicked around at Fort Hays State and Butler Community College before coaching for a few years.NCAA coaches are in constant communication with Butler. He trains the Browns and a few other Wichita high schoolers, providing them with guidance, including Bible study. Some have questioned his motivation, but Butler says he only wants to see his community prosper."The benefit for me is not seeing these kids go to a junior college and then be... on the street, hustling drugs after two years," Butler said. "I get to see people maximize their potential. That's all I have. The real benefit is, every bit of knowledge I have -- positive or negative -- I'm sharing it with them and seeing them use it."• • • The Browns lean on Butler because they're not hip to how the process works. The fact is, they're not college football fans. Bryce grew up playing baseball, to which he paid more attention. Arthur never showed much of an interest in any sport except football -- when he realized he could hit people."He wasn't one I thought would pursue it long-term," said their father, Arthur Sr. "I thought what he did would be school-oriented."Now, Arthur studies situations and people, a contrast to his behavior on the football field. There, he's all instincts and reaction. When it comes to choosing a college, he plans to bide his time. Don't expect a decision until well into his senior season."I'm laid-back and go with the flow," Bryce said. "He's more uptight. He wants to know everything going on."For instance, Arthur is the one you'll find on the computer in Butler's basement, checking out video of other top prospects. Being surrounded by other good players is a must, he says. The ratings are irrelevant."I look for intensity," Arthur said. "If you're an intense player, when you get to college, if you're not that big, if you have to bulk up or if you're not that fast, the colleges will do that. They'll bulk you up, give you speed. How you play is more of a factor of what I look at."Pop in either Brown's highlight DVD -- prepared and distributed by Butler -- and it's apparent both brothers practice what Arthur preaches.There's Bryce breaking 50-yard runs, again and again. There's Arthur vaulting over the line of scrimmage to level a running back.There's speed, sure, but plenty of intensity.Landing one would be great. Landing both could be program-changing."It would be great, a blessing if we could go to the same college and play together," Arthur said.This was Bryce's idea, the brothers captured while looking and behaving like brothers. He sounds, though, as if he might be willing to break out on his own."A lot of people say, 'If Arthur goes here, we automatically get Bryce,' " he said. "What's best for me might not be what's best for my brother.... It would be nice to play with him, but if it doesn't happen, I'm sure we'll just wish each other the best and keep going our separate ways."But then he asks about their latest collaborative effort."I can get a copy, right?"The photograph -- the Browns together.It's every Division I coach's dream. It's probably too good to come true.
