During his high school career, McBrien earned two Washington Post All-Met and two PG Journal all-county honors.
McBrien replaced Brad Lewis for the final three quarters of the Notre Dame game and threw for 252 yards and a touchdown.
At his former alma mater, West Virginia, McBrien led the Terps to a 48-17 win with a 45-yard play action pass to Jafar Williams.
In the 2003 Peach Bowl against Tennessee, he was named the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game, and ran seven times for 36 yards and two touchdowns.
In the North Carolina game, McBrien's career-high four touchdown passes tied for number-six the school single-game record.
In what was Maryland's fourth-straight cliffhanger victory over a Philip Rivers-led N.C. State, McBrien guided the Terps to 16 points with 7:00 remaining on the clock.
Maryland finished the regular season with a 9–3 record and secure a spot in the 2004 Gator Bowl to once again face West Virginia.
[2] Sources: [2][3] In 2004, McBrien signed as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers, where he saw action in the pre-season as a back-up behind Brett Favre.
[4] Green Bay released McBrien in September 2004, only to re-sign and allocate him to the NFL Europe's Rhein Fire in January 2005, in order to gain experience.