Record-setting tailback commits to Kutztown University
2026 Berks football coverage presented by
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(Updated to correct college major.)
Even as Leo Brown was on his way to a Berks County rushing record his coach at Exeter, Matt Bauer, said the running back was still learning the position.
The All-State tailback will continue his football education at Kutztown University, he announced on social media today.
Brown, in his first year as a starter at Exeter, and just his second year as a running back, rushed for a Berks-record 2,444 yards, breaking a 42-year-old county record.
He scored 29 touchdowns, led the Eagles to 10 wins and a spot in the district semifinals and was named Wyomissing Physical Therapy Offensive Player of the Year by MikeDragoSports.com.
Now he’ll join one of the most successful Division II programs in the nation. Kutztown is coming off a record-setting season that saw it win its first 14 games and reach the NCAA semifinals. The Golden Bears finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation and with their third straight PSAC championship.
Brown was considered raw as a running back entering his senior season; he had just 54 carries as a junior, when he played behind two-time All-State pick Jayden Zandier, who in 2024 became the first Exeter back to top 2,000 yards.
It took Brown, who was a wide receiver in ninth grade and didn’t play football in 10th grade, a while to get into the flow at tailback. His problem? He was he was too fast. He was always the fastest guy on the field, no matter the sport. He’s got 4.4 speed and was part of the school-record 4×100 relay team.
What Brown had to learn as a tailback was patience.
“Leo knows one speed,” said Exeter offensive coordinator JP Gibbons, “and that’s fast. We worked tirelessly to get him to slow down, to see what’s happening in front of him. Leo had to work on his patience to set up his blocks.”
“Leo’s so explosive and dynamic, it’s hard initially to realize sometimes it’s better to go slow before you go fast,” said Bauer.
It’s Brown’s nature to go full speed ahead. He does that in the classroom, where he’s breezed through his courses with straight-A’s for four years.
“I try to hold myself to (high) standards,” said Brown, who plans to major in Cybersecurity. “I want to score higher than the person next to me.”
Brown’s hard work paid off quickly. In Week 2, in his first full load as a starting tailback, Brown rushed for 151 yards. That was the first of a program-record 11 straight 100-yard rushing performances.
Six times he topped 200 yards. In the biggest game of the season, at undefeated Conestoga Valley in Week 9, he went for 305.
He entered his final game, against Bishop McDevitt in the District 3 Class 5A playoffs, needing just 9 yards to top Gilmore’s long-standing record. He soared past that on an early 20-yard run and finished the season with 2,444 yards, breaking that dusty old county record.
“When someone breaks a record set 42 years ago,” said Gibbons, “that person has to be a special person and have special people around him.”
What makes Brown’s story so unique, Gibbons said, is that he had the perseverance to stick it out even when he wasn’t getting much playing time. Many kids wouldn’t.
“If you’re not a starter by the time you’re a junior, what does that do to most kids?” he said. “Leo’s not like most kids. He used (being a backup) as an opportunity to grow and get better. He waited his turn and look what his patience did for him. ”
Brown’s mother Dalilah attended Kutztown University.
Golden Bears coach Jim Clements has built his PSAC dynasty using key parts from Berks County. This season’s championship team included six former Berks players, including starting linebackers Brandon Strausser and Eden Johnson and punter Nate Millard.
