Brown selected for 2025 Good Works Team

NORTHBROOK, ILL. – Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association revealed the members of the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team today, naming Lennx Brown to this year's roster. Brown is the only athlete from a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school to receive the honor this year.

"I never stepped into community service or mission trips looking for recognition, but hearing the news of my selection to the Good Works Team filled me with gratitude," explained Brown. "Honestly, it means even more to me than any win on the field because it reflects the work I've tried to do off the field, serving others and living out my values."

The senior's portfolio of service is steeped in mission work, with trips to Grand Isle, Louisiana; Santa Clara, Cuba; Entebbe, Uganda; and Honduras, where he, alongside Morningside Football teammates, provided manual labor while also working with local children and generally helping out. 

"For me, it all comes back to my faith. I believe we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and my goal is to help people the way He did through love, service, and compassion. What keeps me going is seeing how even small acts of service can impact someone's life and show them that they're valued and cared for."

In Honduras last spring, where football team members gave their time at a compound supporting children from impoverished villages by digging trenches, mixing concrete, and cutting fence posts to improve infrastructure. They also played soccer and gaga ball with local children and worked to teach them English through Olympic-themed lessons.

Brown was a leader on Morningside Football's mission trip to Uganda in 2024, the team replaced fencing at a church and school, cutting cement posts and barbed wire, and played football and other games with some of the local children. 

A trip to Cuba in 2023 saw Brown and his teammates immersed in local culture as they attended church services, delivered toiletry care packages, and painted buildings at a missionary. While there, the team worked to overcome language barriers and left with a greater appreciation for faith and hospitality.

In Louisiana in 2022, that came in the form of helping residents with recovery efforts from a hurricane, tearing down and rebuilding parts of an elderly resident's home, building a personal connection at the same time.

Closer to home, Brown has made an impact in a variety of ways, with helping clean up debris following a tornado that hit Blair, Neb., transporting materials to help with a fundraiser for the Siouxland Humane Society, and speaking to students at a Sioux City elementary school about sportsmanship and leadership all listed on his resume. 

Lennx and his family's largest impact has possibly been felt as they established the Merzedes Hard Memorial Fund after his sister tragically passed away in 2016. 

"We've helped drive initiatives like starting Bloomer Hart's Closet in 2024 to provide clothes, shoes, and hygiene items for families in need; supporting Morningside Football mission trips; supporting Grief's Journey; and donating to Abraham Lincoln High School for uniforms. My dream is to expand this fund to continue making a difference."

"Lennx is not only a good football player, but he is also an incredible person. His heart and compassion for those with needs on our team, in our community, and around the world is amazing," said head coach Steve Ryan. "When we have opportunities to help in the community for an afternoon or evening, Lennx is among the first to step up and help alongside many members of the team."

Annually, the Allstate and the AFCA name 22 athletes to the Good Works Team, with 11 representing the National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 representing Football Subdivisions II and III and the NAIA. There were a record 195 nominees across all divisions for this year's team. The Good Works Team members are selected by a panel of former team members, head coaches, and journalists.

"These young men are passionate leaders with hearts driven to serve others. It's an honor to celebrate the many ways they make their communities better," said Tim Tebow, a 2009 member of the Good Works Team.

Brown joins eight previous Morningside selections to the Good Works Team, following Colby Rohde in 2011, Jordan Sitzmann in 2013, Luke Grooters in 2016, Trent Solsma in 2018, Jacob Katzer in 2019, Sione Tuifua in 2022, KJ Williams in 2023, and Isaac Pingel in 2024.

Fans can vote for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain at ESPN.com/Allstate, voting once per day through Nov. 10.