Browning was born in Brisbane, Australia. His grandfather, Dick Marks, was a 1960s Wallaby centre and National Director of Coaching.[1] He attended Brisbane State High School where he was school captain and was selected for the Australian Schoolboys rugby team for three years in a row from 2009 to 2011.[2]
At the annual John Eales Medal awards, he was named the Australian Under-20s Player of the Year for two years in a row in 2012 and 2013.[5]
In 2013, Browning joined the Queensland Reds College Squad and made his Super Rugby debut from the bench against the Bulls in March of that year.[6] He signed a two-year main squad contract with the Reds in May 2013.[1]