Alabama DB Tony Brown's hopes of making the U.S. national team in the 100-meter dash were dashed Thursday at the United States Track & Field Outdoor Championships, as he was disqualified from the preliminary round due to a false start.
Tennessee's Christian Coleman won the event with a time of 9.93 seconds.
To reach the semifinals, Brown needed to finish in the top two in his heat or post one of the six fastest wild-card times (best times of those who didn't finish in top two in their heat). To make the U.S. national team, Brown would have needed a top-three finish with a qualifying time in the finals, which will be held Friday night.
Brown ran a personal-best 10.12 in the 100 on June 7 at the NCAA Championships, but finished 11th and failed to reach the finals. Had he not false started and run another 10.12 on Thursday night, he would have advanced with a wild-card time.
If there is a silver lining in the outcome for Brown, it's that he'll be able to start fall camp on time with the Crimson Tide. A spot on the U.S. national team, and its participation in the IAAF World Championships, would have conflicted with Alabama's report date for camp, Aug. 2. Brown is entering what could be his only season as a full-time starter in the UA defense, making it a crucial opportunity for his 2018 NFL Draft stock. Brown is one of the fastest players in college football, and is expected to be the Crimson Tide's starting nickelback this fall as a senior.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
