Daniel Brown isn’t in Isle of Wight County anymore. And he isn’t in Harrisonburg, either.

The former Isle of Wight Academy and James Madison University football star is spending a lot of his time in Maryland these days. He is playing for the Baltimore Ravens, vying for a spot on the 53-man roster that will represent the team during the NFL’s 2015 regular season.

“It’s been quite an experience, one that you can only dream of when you’re a kid, and it’s kind of something that’s become a reality,” he said.

In his senior season at JMU, he tied for the team-lead in receptions with 42 and led the Dukes with 606 receiving yards. For Dukes players catching at least eight passes, Brown also led the team in average yards per catch with 14.43, and he also had seven touchdown receptions.

He went undrafted but participated in a “pro day” at James Madison, which is an opportunity for players to be tested in drills by NFL scouts and possibly earn a chance to make an NFL team.

The Baltimore Ravens liked enough of what they saw from the local 6-foot-5-inch, 225-pound wide receiver that they wanted to see him again.

“I got invited to a rookie mini-camp for a tryout,” he said.

So he made the trip to Baltimore and participated in the tryout, which he said was a basic practice requiring the participants to run plays and compete in one-on-ones.

He signed with the Ravens this past spring to a three-year contract, but he still has to make the regular season team. He was placed on the team’s 90-man roster and is among the players who made the cut down to 75 that was due on Tuesday.

The final cut down to 53 is due on Saturday, following Baltimore’s last preseason game on Thursday, which will be on the road against the Atlanta Falcons.

Likely helping Brown’s case for making the team was his performance against the host Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 22.

The Eagles won the game 40-17, but during the fourth quarter, Brown continued a tradition that he started with the IWA Chargers and maintained with the JMU Dukes — he always scores a touchdown in his inaugural catch with a team.

Ravens quarterback Bryn Renner connected with Brown for a 28-yard touchdown.

It was “kind of like an unreal moment,” Brown said. “It’s a moment I’ll probably never forget.”

His parents, Mike and Cathy Brown of Windsor, were in attendance and witnesses to the landmark play by their son.

“It was pretty amazing,” Mike Brown said. “We were just kind of going crazy to be honest with you. That’s the only pass that’s been thrown to him so far.”

Daniel Brown also had fans back home with their eyes glued to the television when he jumped up, plucked Renner’s pass out of the air and ran for the end zone.

“I was just so happy and so proud for him,” Isle of Wight football coach Dale Chapman said. “He was a phenomenal kid when he was here, and he was a phenomenal kid when he was at James Madison and now hopefully he can be a phenomenal player out there for the Baltimore Ravens.”

Chapman said Isle of Wight Academy is obviously 100 percent behind Brown, and he is glad his former player is with the nearby Ravens.

“If he does make the 53-man roster, it’ll be easier for our fan base and our family and whatnot to go to Baltimore,” he said.

Mike Brown said his wife has been saying their son had NFL potential since he was a little boy, receiving passes from her in the living room.

He began to agree with his wife when their son’s size became a distinguishing characteristic along with his speed, athleticism and intelligence.

“We pretty much knew when he was a junior in college that he had a chance at (the NFL) anyhow,” Mike Brown said.

To manage the pressure that comes with competing for his dream opportunity, “(I) just kind of go to work every day and work as hard as I can and do everything I can to try to impress the coaches and then realize that I can only control what I can control,” Daniel Brown said. “I’ve tried not to overthink it.”

Mike Brown said, “We’ve just told him to pursue his dream, and if it’s in God’s will, it will happen.”

The Ravens face the Falcons on Thursday at 7 p.m.