Jarrett Brown Jarrett Brown ( born January 23 , 1987 ) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent of the National Football League . He played college football at West Virginia , and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2010 NFL Draft . He served as the starting quarterback for the West Virginia Mountaineers at West Virginia University during the 2009 season after three seasons as the backup to Pat White . Early life . Brown was born in West Palm Beach , Florida to trucking company owner James and mother Sherry Brown . He attended Palm Beach Lakes High School where he played football and basketball . Brown received a letter in basketball all four years . Over the course of his high school football career , Brown compiled more than 7 , 100 passing yards and 73 touchdown s . As a senior , he recorded 1 , 800 passing yards for 18 touchdowns , and 485 rushing yards . " The Sun - Sentinel " named him the player of the year and he was also named the all - state quarterback at the 6 - A level . Rivals . com rated him a three - star prospect and the 12th - ranked dual - threat quarterback in the 2005 recruiting class . Brown received scholarship offers from Central Florida , Iowa , Minnesota , NC State , and West Virginia . College career . 2005 season . In 2005 , Brown enrolled at West Virginia University where he studied athletic coaching education . He sat out his true freshman season on redshirt status after losing the competition for starting quarterback to Pat White . Brown said that he first found out about the decision by reading the team ' s website . He discussed transferring to another college with his family once but felt loyal to West Virginia , which was the first school to offer him an athletic scholarship and countenance his playing both football and basketball . Brown spent the offseason working out with the linebacker s in the weight room and studying head coach Rich Rodriguez ' s playbook . 2006 season . In 2006 , Brown played in six games as a backup behind starting quarterback Pat White . Against Marshall , he scored a touchdown on a seven – yard quarterback keeper . Against , he threw 11 completion s on 15 attempts for 129 yards . Brown also saw some action in garbage time against Syracuse , Connecticut , and Cincinnati . Pat White was injured before the regular season finale , so Brown started against Rutgers . Brown completed 14 of 29 passes for 244 yards , one touchdown , and one interception . He also made 17 rushing attempts for 73 yards and one touchdown , and he was sacked twice . Brown threw the game - winning touchdown pass to win the game in triple overtime . 2007 season . In 2007 , Brown played in ten games as a reserve . He recorded 31 completions on 48 attempts for 341 yards , two touchdowns , and two interceptions . Brown also rushed 49 times for 327 yards and three touchdowns . Against South Florida , Brown was substituted for an injured White , and passed for 149 yards and a touchdown . After the football season , he played basketball for the Mountaineers and scored 13 points in as many games . 2008 season . In 2008 , Brown played in nine games , starting once . He recorded 22 completions on 30 attempts for 114 yards , one touchdown , and one interception . Brown and White alternated as the quarterback during the Rutgers game , with Brown being utilized often in short - yardage situations . He said , " Whatever gets me on the field and whatever helps this team , I enjoy it , I ' m just playing my role . " White was eventually knocked out of that game by injury , and Brown replaced him for the remainder and led West Virginia to win , 24 – 17 . After the season , Brown joined the basketball team , but eventually re - dedicated his focus on football . 2009 season . With the graduation of Pat White , Brown was promoted to the starting position for the 2009 season . Against East Carolina , Brown led the Mountaineers to a 35 – 20 victory and completed 24 of 31 pass attempts for 334 yards and four touchdowns . For his performance , the Big East Conference named him the Offensive Player of the Week . The following week , West Virginia lost to Auburn , 41 – 30 . Brown completed 18 of 32 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown , but also threw four interceptions and lost one fumble . After the game , head coach Bill Stewart defended Brown and said , " He ' s learning , and we ' ve got a lot of football to play . And I ' m glad Jarrett Brown is my quarterback . " " The Charleston Gazette " wrote , " Did he take some chances ? Yes , and a bunch of them paid off , which is why West Virginia led most of the game . " Against Colorado , West Virginia overcame a string of four consecutive fumbles in the first quarter , including one by Brown , to win 35 – 24 . Head coach Stewart credited Brown and running back Noel Devine with keeping the offense ' s composure . Brown was injured early in the Marshall game , and replaced by true freshman quarterback Eugene " Geno " Smith . Brown suffered a mild concussion from a helmet - to - helmet hit from two defensive backs , but returned for the next game against Connecticut . Brown completed 19 of 32 passes for 205 yards and one interception in the loss to South Florida , which snapped West Virginia ' s four - game winning streak . He threw one touchdown pass against Louisville , but the Mountaineers offense struggled to a 17 – 9 win . Offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen attributed a drop - off in Brown ' s performance from earlier in the season to a string of minor injuries . Brown scored touchdowns on a three - yard pass and an eight - yard run in a losing 24 – 21 effort against fifth - ranked Cincinnati . Late in the game against ninth - ranked Pittsburgh , Brown led a 42 - yard drive to set up the game - winning field goal . In the regular season finale , Brown ran for a first down on a naked bootleg to clinch a 24 – 21 victory over Rutgers . West Virginia earned an invitation to the 2010 Gator Bowl , where it faced Florida State , but Brown was replaced by Smith after suffering an ankle injury in the first half . Professional career . Pre - draft . Brown played in the 2010 Senior Bowl , in which he was a reserve behind Florida quarterback Tim Tebow ; the " St . Louis Post - Dispatch " considered him the most impressive quarterback of the game . As an NFL Draft prospect , " The Sporting News " praised his " strong arm and quick release " . At the NFL Scouting Combine , he ran the 40 - yard dash in 4 . 54 seconds and recorded a 34 . 5 - inch vertical jump and nine - foot , six - inch broad jump . NBC Sports considered him a viable scrambling quarterback in the league . He scored a 15 on the Wonderlic intelligence test . ESPN considered Brown as the best performing in a mediocre crop of quarterbacks during the combine . San Francisco 49ers . After going undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft , the San Francisco 49ers signed Brown to a free agent contract . He was re - signed to the practice squad , but the franchise released him on September 8 when it signed quarterback Troy Smith and moved Nate Davis to the practice squad . Later in September , Brown tried out with the Pittsburgh Steelers alongside quarterbacks Levi Brown and John David Booty in search of a replacement for the injured Dennis Dixon .