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
linebackers in the weight room and studying head coach
Rich Rodriguez's playbook. 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.
2008 season In
2008, Brown played in nine games, starting once. 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. 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. 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." 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==