D.J. Brown is about to begin the final chapter of his Miami University football career.

He’s excited, determined, revved up. And a little sad.

“There are mixed emotions for sure,” admitted Brown, a Lakota West High School graduate. “I know a lot of the guys feel the same way. Going into the last year, you want to do as much as you can to be successful.”

The redshirt senior has been a starting cornerback for the majority of his days in Oxford. This spring, the coaches decided to move him to free safety to fill the void left by Anthony Kokal’s graduation.

Brown is fine with the move. He’ll do whatever he can to erase the sting of last year’s 4-8 record.

“Nobody wants to go from (Mid-American Conference) champions to 4-8,” Brown said. “It was a humbling kind of experience, but we learned a lot of lessons as a team. I think we’re ready to prove we belong at the top of the MAC.”

Playing free safety will present a different challenge. Brown said he’s “getting the hang of it,” but it requires a unique mind-set.

“The whole view of the field is different,” Brown said. “The safety has to kind of control the whole backfield, so you have to know more about what everybody else is doing. I definitely like the challenge. I have to understand defense more, and I feel like moving to safety is giving me another aspect of defense I didn’t have.”

The 6-foot-1, 181-pound Brown has three interceptions and 117 total tackles with the RedHawks. He’s working toward a degree in sport studies with a minor in management.

Asked if he might have a future in football after he leaves Miami, Brown replied, “For every football player, if you’re not dreaming of going to the next level, you’re in the wrong sport.”

RedHawk notes

Miami will begin summer practice Friday afternoon. The season opener is Sept. 1 at Ohio State.

RedHawks coach Don Treadwell has made a change in his coaching staff, switching the assignments of Mark Spencer and Robert Lee. Spencer will now coach the wide receivers, while Lee will coach the running backs.

Also, sophomore Tyler Tucker will miss the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in July. He was listed second on the depth chart behind redshirt junior Chris Wade at an outside linebacker spot.