Johnston City, a small town in the southern part of Illinois, has around 350 students at its high school. With that, it's not necessarily a common stop on the recruiting trail for college coaches around the country.

But that was not the case in the 2022 class, as Austin Brown, a three-star safety, garnered attention from some of the top schools in the Midwest.

"Austin is just a tremendously gifted kid, not only physically but mentally and emotionally," head coach Todd Thomas told BadgerBlitz.com. "It's something you don't come by every day, especially as a small-school coach."