Meet 'the LaVar Ball of college football', whose youngest son is determined to live up to the hype at USC
Amon-ra St. Brown sits in the backseat, silently flipping through his iPhone and waiting for his turn to control the music. His father makes the rules, and if he's driving, which John Brown often is, then he's sure as heck going to torture the kid while he still can.
So, Foreigner's greatest hits it is.
As John directs the family's black SUV north from Anaheim to Los Angeles, he has no problem conjuring the falsetto required for "Hot Blooded."
John has been thinking about this moment for weeks, what it would feel like. Now that it is here, he tries to keep the mood light.
"USC!" he says. "Last one. ... Oh my God, this is crazy."
Move-in day for the Trojans' highly touted freshman class awaits at the end of this drive. The anticipation grows when word reaches Amon-ra, a five-star wide receiver out of Santa Ana Mater Dei High, that Julio Jones and Terrell Owens are working out at USC's practice field on this Friday morning in June. Hopefully, Amon-ra will get a chance to meet them and get some pointers.
"How old is Julio?" John inquires about the Atlanta Falcons star receiver.
Amon-ra Googles.
"29," he says.
"Antonio Brown?"
"29."
"Dez Bryant?"
"29."
"A.J. Green?"
"29."
John is on to something.
"I didn't know those guys were close to 30," he says. "They need a new wave of young wide receivers."
