J'Von Brown never played football before he arrived at Norwich Free Academy.

Heck, Brown struggled do a pushup.

"When I started, I could barely do one pushup," Brown said. "I could barely run down the field. It was bad. I had never done anything before. I'd sit on the couch, watch TV, and eat junk food."

One all-state award and two state final appearances later, Brown — a four-year starter at Norwich Free Academy — will continue his football career. The senior two-way lineman signed a national letter of intent on Wednesday to play for Central Connecticut State University, which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as I-AA).

Montville two-way lineman Kevin Murtha, a consensus all-state pick, also signed a letter of intent to play at Bryant University, another FCS school, while lineman Jack Giaconia of Valley Regional/Old Lyme accepted an invitation to join the UConn football program as a preferred walk-on.

CCSU and Bryant are both members of the Northeast Conference, whose champion earns an automatic bid into the NCAA FCS Playoffs (Duquesne was the 2015 NEC champ).

"It was non-stop work with my coaches and my team," Brown said. "(Assistant coach) Jason Bakoulis was a big part of shaping me. … My cousin, Marcus Outlow, he was really in my ear about my potential and what I could be. He was really the reason I came out for football, and it helped give me a better chance at college."

Murtha, meanwhile, was sold on Bryant from the start.

"The overall feel of (Bryant) when I went on visits was great," Murtha said. "The campus (in Smithfield, R.I.) is beautiful. It's a really highly respected school. It's one of the top business schools in the nation. And the players, when I got to meet with them, they had really good things to say about how football was there. They didn't have anything negative to say. They said it's like a brotherhood."

Brown, 6-foot-3, 330 pounds, was a four-year starter on both sides of the line for the Wildcats. He helped the program to the 2013 Class LL final as well as the 2015 Class LL-Large title game. He was a Connecticut High School Coaches' Association Class LL All-State pick as a senior.

"He was a big kid who had never played before, and he ended up being a key part of our success," NFA head coach Jemal Davis said. "I knew that this young man had a lot of potential at that time. He was under six feet and probably 260 pounds. … (He) really transformed his body and worked extremely hard in the weight room."

Brown adds local flavor to a Central roster featuring sophomore offensive lineman Jake Basilica (Montville), freshman offensive lineman Marck D'Elia (NFA), and New London's Jevon Elmore (junior cornerback and co-captain) and Jose Garcia (freshman, receiver).

Brown is projected to play offensive guard.

"I like playing guard," Brown said. "I like running people over on double teams."

Murtha (6-2, 295) was a four-year starter at Montville and a two-time CHSCA Class S All-State selection. He is also projected to play at guard.

"I'm going back to my position, finally," Murtha said. "They put me at right tackle this year. Instead of pulling and being on the inside, dominating a defensive tackle, I was instead fighting with a faster defensive end. I never played tackle in my life."

Bryant's business program was of particular interest to Murtha, who said he is interested in majoring in business, marketing or management.

"One of my (former) teachers was the CEO of (Groton's) Ivory Ella," Murtha said, referring to Matthew Fiano. "I kind of got to see the behind the scenes of business. It really interests me. Ever since I was a kid, I looked at Nike, its marketing, and it was so cool how it produced its advertisements."

Giaconia played four seasons for the Warriors and helped them to two playoff berths, the latter culminating in the 2015 Class S-Large state championship, a first for the program. He is projected to play defensive tackle or nose guard for the Huskies, joining former teammate Chris Jean-Pierre, who completed his freshman season at UConn as a preferred walk-on safety.

n.griffen@theday.com

Twitter: @MetalNED

LOCAL PLAYERS / COLLEGE CHOICES

Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Div. I)

*DL Jack Giaconia (Valley/Old Lyme), UConn

*preferred walk-on

Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Div. I-AA)

OL J'von Brown (NFA) Central Connecticut

OL Kevin Murtha (Montville) Bryant

NCAA Division II

OL Noah Brown (NFA), Assumption

RB Khaleed Exum-Strong (NFA, Trinity-Pawling Prep), Assumption

WR Phyllip Thomas (Ledyard, Bridgton Acadmey), Pace

NCAA Division III

QB Ty Ebdon (Ledyard), Mass. Maritime

WR Luke Lettelier (Fitch), Trinity

WR Tyler Price (Montville), Curry

LB Peyton Whittaker (NFA), Wesleyan

Prep School

WR-DB Justin Carter (Ledyard), Bridgton Academy