When Tommy Brown got a notification that he had received a direct message on one of his social media accounts, he didn’t know exactly what to expect.

What was awaiting him was something that he could have never guessed, but that same thing has now propelled the Colorado offensive lineman to a previously unthinkable level of internet fame and recognition.

When Brown transferred from Alabama to Colorado in January, he figured it would be an opportunity to start anew and assume a bigger role on a different team. He has done that through two games, both of which he started at right guard, but in the process, he achieved another feat – becoming an underwear model.

Back in March, not long after arriving in Boulder, Brown announced a partnership he had secured with Denver-based clothing company Shinasty, revealing it on Instagram with photos of the 6-foot-7, 330-pound graduate student wearing the brand’s underwear in a handful of different settings – while using a jackhammer (and with a yellow construction helmet falling off his head to showcase his magnificent mullet) and in a couple of jumping poses in front of a ballet barre.