LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For a long time, people around Male High School have seen how special senior defensive end Selah Brown is.
"When he was a freshman, people were like, 'Hey, did you see the unicorn at practice today,'" Bulldogs head football coach Chris Wolfe said.
"Unicorns are rare," Brown said with a smile. "So it's like I'm a rare player."
That's been clear since the defensive lineman played running back in middle school. Now, he's a four-star defensive end whose athleticism and versatility have made him the top-rated defensive player in Kentucky's class of 2022.
"To have a 260-pound kid that once upon a time played running back, and is on our basketball team and plays on the D-line, that's pretty impressive," Wolfe said.
"I can run the ball like a fullback," Brown said. "I can play everywhere on the D-line. And then also, I can play stand-up linebacker and drop back into coverage."
"I don't know where he's going to be better," Wolfe said. "I don't know what area people will notice because he was really dominant last year. If he just is 10% better, he is going to be pretty impressive."
Plenty of Power Five schools are already impressed. The senior currently has 25 scholarship offers, including one from his hometown school: the Louisville Cardinals.
"UofL is a great program," Brown said. "I've always been a fan of UofL growing up. I've always wanted to play for them."
Brown worked out a Cardinal football camp in June and taken unofficial visits to the university. He said he has built a solid relationship with the coaching staff.
"It's always feeling like home when I go there," Brown said. "It's like I personally know them."
While Louisville is a possibility, Brown is still weighing his options. He has taken visits to Illinois and Northwestern, where he came away impressed with "family-centered" programs at both schools.
"It's just a blessing to know that they want me," Brown said. "And then the pressure of being a hometown hero and all that stuff, I don't really let it get to me. Everybody has their own opinion. So if I were to go to Louisville, then it'd be great. If I weren't, then it'd still be great. I have support on both sides with that.
"There's going to be a lot of people that wouldn't like that decision, or if I did, there'll be a lot of people that will love that decision. So really, it's just upon me to make my own decision, where I'll fit best and which program I feel like I can make an impact early. And then also, just how I mesh with the program itself, because it's the people that make the program."
With that in mind, the unicorn wants a rare feat to make his impact at Male.
"I want a ring in both sports so I can feel like I've left my legacy here at Male," Brown said.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.