Making His Dreams A Reality

Beau Brade had dreams of making it to the NFL since he was 8 years old. More than a decade later, the dynamic safety from the University of Maryland made his dreams a reality after signing with the Baltimore Ravens on April 27. 

The 6-foot, 203-pound defensive back from Clarksville, Md., opted to play his college ball locally, hoping to reignite Maryland's football program. He fulfilled that hope by winning three consecutive bowl games with the Terrapins, a first in program history. But above all else, he will leave the university as an example of what is possible for football players in College Park.

"Beau is the poster child for what our program should be about," Terps head football coach Michael Locksley said. "[He] decided to stay here at home and was able to build his brand and develop into a star player."

Developing A Dream

Brade grew up as the middle child among two sisters. His father, Ron Brade, played football at Virginia Tech in 1988 as a walk-on outside linebacker. Ron introduced his son to the sport at a young age, and Beau says he's been playing football for as long as he can remember.

Ron was the first person Beau told about his dream of making it to the NFL. Ron then discussed with Beau what it would take to fulfill that dream. It turned into a heart-to-heart conversation during which Ron even told his son what not to do if he wanted to turn pro, as he never reached the next level.

Ron also consulted his former teammates to speak with his son about their journeys. They included Tony Kennedy, a former undrafted free-agent running back with the Dallas Cowboys, and Victor Jones, a seven-year NFL veteran linebacker for the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I had a network of some former friends and colleagues that had varying levels of success," Ron said. "I leveraged those resources to expose him to the kinds of things that he needed to do to make it, as well as those things that if he did, he wouldn't make it."

Beau started playing flag football with the Western Howard County Warhawks and Columbia Ravens. His passion for football grew in middle school when he played in the Grassroots Youth Football League. At one point, he was playing for two different teams simultaneously. Brade practiced five days a week and played two games every Saturday.

Brade began doing defensive-back-specific training at PrimeXample Elite Skills Academy. Roman Morris is the owner and coach of the academy and has a relationship with Locksley. The pair grew up together, living at Linda Pollin Apartment Complex in Southeast D.C. They also played against each other in high school, and Locksley later recruited his son when he was the offensive coordinator at Illinois.

The defensive back also received training from Justin Winters, the current associate head coach and defensive coordinator at St. Frances Academy. The training extended to the whiteboard. Winters taught football concepts to Brade, who was watching film and learning the X's and O's with his coaches before he was even in high school.

"I can't think of a situation where I had to force him to get up at 7 o'clock on a Saturday morning for a training session," Ron said. "He was always up, and he was always committed. I think that just goes to show his work ethic and his self-commitment."  

Brade attended a summer camp in eighth grade before attending River Hill High School. He showed out in front of the school's coaches and later became the Day 1 starter at safety for the Hawks as a freshman in 2016. The rest is history.

He became a two-time county champion and left high school ranked second in Howard County history in tackles. He was the 2019 Howard County Defensive Player of the Year and became a two-time Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection.

The Maryland native was a three-star prospect and a top-25 player from the state of Maryland in the Class of 2020, according to 247Sports. He said he was most interested in Michigan, Virginia Tech and Maryland.

Brade ultimately chose Maryland because of the relationship the coaches set out to make with him and the integrity they displayed throughout the process. That, coupled with the Terrapins being the hometown choice, made it a much easier decision for the football star.

"It meant a lot to represent my home state because this is where I'm from," Brade said. "This is where everybody I love and know is from. I've got to represent the people here, the university here and the fans."

Forging A Culture

Brade's recruiters at Maryland were Brian Williams, the outside linebackers coach at the time, and Jon Hoke, a former defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Terps. The coaches were tasked with attempting to bring an influx of youthful talent to a program that finished the 2019 season with just three wins.

Williams and Hoke sought to build a foundation around youthful talent from Maryland. However, they only landed five prospects from the state in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports. Brade was one of two who stuck with the program for four seasons.

Williams, now the Terrapins defensive coordinator, was Brade's play-caller throughout the safety's time as a starter. He says Brade was one of the most important pieces in leading Maryland football to where it is today.

"Beau is one of the guys that helped change our culture into one where we're more team-oriented," Williams said. "The speed of the pack is determined by the speed of your leaders, and he was definitely one of them. A Maryland guy through and through, a Terp through and through. The pride that he played with was a reflection of him being a Maryland guy and wanting to see our program take the next step. Moving forward, he will be one of the reasons why we play with a high level of discipline and togetherness as a unit because he epitomized that during his time here."

Brade was part of a 2020 freshman class that featured Corey Dyches, Delmar Glaze, Ruben Hyppolite II, Rakim Jarrett and Tarheeb Still. Taulia Tagovailoa and Jakorian Bennett also came to College Park as transfers the same year.

The reinforcements provided optimism. But the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 season short. Maryland played just five games and finished 2-3. Brade appeared in all five games his freshman season but played almost solely on special teams, totaling just three tackles.

In 2021, Maryland finished above .500 with a record of 7-6 for the first time since 2014, its first season playing in the Big Ten. Locksley's vision of a winning program that regularly competes in bowl games began to take shape. Brade appeared in 12 of 13 games that season and recorded 14 total tackles and a sack.

Brade, a sophomore then, got his chance to shine in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Virginia Tech due to a few opt-outs in the secondary. He matched his career-high at the time with four tackles in a blowout win. His performance, along with safeties Jordan Mosley and Nick Cross leaving for the NFL, solidified Brade as the Day 1 starter heading into his junior season in 2022.

"Beau has a lot of great qualities as a person, but also as a player," said Still, Brade's former teammate in the secondary. "He played a little bit early on but then he had a chip on his shoulder where he wanted to be one of those guys not only on the team but in the conference and around the country that made plays."

Brade started all 13 games at safety in 2022 and developed into the playmaker he had sought to become. He led the Terps with 85 tackles, along with five pass breakups, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He capped off his breakout season with Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors.

It wasn't just personal success, though. The Terps took another step forward, finishing 8-5 and winning another bowl game, this time against NC State in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Brade led Maryland's defense with seven tackles in that game.

Brade then led the Terps in tackles with 75 and boasted All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors as a senior in 2023. He added six pass breakups, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception. Maryland went 8-5 again and recorded three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2001-2003 under head coach Ralph Friedgen.

Maryland also won its third consecutive bowl game, thrashing Auburn 31-13, in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. The feat had never been done before in three consecutive seasons in program history. His teammates voted Brade as a captain at the end of the season, showcasing his leadership qualities.

"I earned my spot and when I got on the field, I did what I knew I was capable of doing," Brade said. "I feel like myself and a lot of my teammates were the reason Maryland is where it's at right now. We just put in the work, that 2020 class is second to none. I'm proud of my guys and myself for not quitting."

The Next Level 

Brade joined recent defensive-back teammates such as Deonte Banks, Jakorian Bennett and Nick Cross as Terps in the NFL.

"I think over the four years that he's been in our program you can see his development," Locksley said. "His game definitely translates to the next level as a few other safeties that have come out of this program."

Brade offers versatility as a split safety in coverage and a defender near the line of scrimmage or close to where the play is happening. He's disruptive in the run game and built a knack for supplying big hits as an enforcer. Brade also displays good ball skills, plenty of starter experience and a high football IQ.

"One of the best compliments that he had gotten when he first got to Maryland out of that freshman class that entered in January of 2020 was that he was the fastest one to pick up the playbook," his father, Ron, said.

Brade says learning from his older teammates in the secondary greatly benefited his game. He mentioned the little things: learning how to watch films, how to cover effectively in man-to-man and zone coverage and how to be a leader.

Still, who was recently drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers, noticed Brade's development.

"He's just a student at the game," Still said. "He watched what those guys did. He took it, wrote it down and kept a note of it. ... Sitting behind those guys paid off and you can see how much growth he had as a player throughout college. The lessons that those guys taught him stuck with him."

Brade says he was fortunate to have like-minded teammates who set an example for him.

"I've been lucky to be with a group of guys who like to put the work in and want to be great too," he said. "Everybody that went here wanted to do big things like win a championship and get to that next level."

Brade had time to reflect on his four seasons as a hometown kid representing the Terps. He shared his love for the fans who supported him from day one and thanked Maryland and its coaches for the opportunity to play in the Big Ten while receiving a quality education.

"It's been a great ride and a great journey," he said. "It's been better than what I could have expected and dreamt."