Former Lincoln QB Brimm establishing a record-setting career at NDC

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

His name isn’t being plastered across the front page of newspapers. Broadcasters aren’t tracking his game-by-game progress, either.

Yet, Chris Brimm is on track to accomplish something worthy of the attention given to the greatest of all in any sport.

Brimm, a former Lincoln High School quarterback, has been quietly working his way into NCAA college football record books. With five games remaining in his final season as quarterback of the Notre Dame College football team, Brimm needs one win to tie the Division II all-time win record of 46 set by Chase Vogler when he played at Minnesota Duluth.

He could reach the milestone when he and the Falcons (4-2) take on West Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday. With a win and victories in the remaining four games, Brimm will be right up there with Kellen Moore, who set the all-time record at any level with 50 wins when he played at Boise State.

That’s a huge feat that has South Euclid, Ohio, paying attention to the 23-year-old from Tallahassee. But the records only come up if Brimm is dragged into a conversation about the legacy that he will establish at Notre Dame College.

“I’m not the type of player who pays attention to all of the records and be recognized for everything that I’ve done,” he said during a recent telephone interview. “I’m just trying to go out this last season the best way we can and that is to reach the national championship.”

Since the season started, Brimm has rewritten the NDC record for most career passing yards with over 10,500. He also holds the Falcons’ record for passing touchdowns (94), pass efficiency (146.8), average yards per pass (8) and yards per completion (13.4).

Brimm is steadily improving on all those marks as leader of a team that lost several veteran players last season. But he still has two veterans in center Nick Beans on the offensive line and his go-to receiver Jeremy Hamilton.

The bond with Beans is a special one for Brimm.

“We have to keep that quarterback-center relationship so anything that I see or he sees,” he said, “we bounce off each other and make everything work.”

Apart from Hamilton, the receivers spot has been hit by the injury bug, pressing some younger players into action. Brimm has been diligently taking time to get them on the same page and they are taking heed.

“If they all weren’t one of those starters at the beginning of the season, they all make it an opportunity for them to learn,” he said. “Those guys study and work hard and I know once their number gets called I can rely on them just like I do with the starters.”

Coach Garrett Mack, who took over as head coach this season following the departure of Mickey Mental for another job, has taken notice of the work that Brimm has been doing with the younger players on offense.

“It makes my life pretty easy when you have a guy like Chris with his leadership,” said Mack, who was an assistant for two seasons before becoming head coach. “He has a lot of game experience and all that stuff makes my job really easy. He is a passionate player on our team. He makes the offense go.

“Chris is a guy that leads by example. He points out the good in everything and keeps guys on their toes, pushing them to be the best version of themselves; just like he wants to be.”

Brimm is in his fifth season at NDC, taking advantage of a year that the NCAA gave back to players because of the impact that COVID-19 had on the 2020 season. He has led the Falcons to four Mountain East Conference titles and a trip to the final four.

So that makes having a goal to win the national title understandable. To get there, Brimm said he is “going through the season one game at a time.”

Mack describes Brimm as a quarterback who works from the pocket but would scramble if he had to. It’s seldom when he doesn’t make the right decision, Mack said.

“Having played as much football as he has, he has seen a lot of different stuff,” Mack said. “His football IQ is tremendous and I think that comes from his experience over the course of the years.”

Brimm didn’t worry about where his football journey would take him after graduation from Lincoln in 2016. Admittedly he wasn’t familiar with navigating the recruiting landscape, although he was named to the All-Big Bend First Team and Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. 

That could be considered impressive, considering that Brimm wasn’t settled into being under center until his freshman year at Lincoln.

Former NDC coach Mike Jacob was the only coach, he said, who made him an offer, although a few HBCUs expressed slight interest.

After arriving in Ohio in 2017, Brimm took a redshirt and spent time conditioning. He’s been the starter since 2018 and has built an impressive resume.

It is one that he could have used to move on through the transfer portal for his final season. At best it might have been a brief thought, Brimm said, adding that he was too connected to NDC.

“I felt like that’s where my football family was,” he said. “I just stuck it out and decided that I’ve been here so long I wouldn’t give that up.

“I’m in a good spot here so why give that up.”

Brimm will have to make another career move when the season is over. He could enter the workforce, using his criminal justice degree. But he thinks there might be a chance for him if he wants to try his option to play football at the next level.

He doesn’t appear to be limited to the NFL.

“Right now with all these leagues coming out and at the same time play with the same kind of competition and get paid that would be a blessing. No matter what league I’m able to get to; the opportunity is an opportunity. I just have to make that count.”