Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
7 0 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M DEFENSIVE BACKS J i'Ayir Brown smiled, shook his head and laughed when he was asked what he would tell his high school senior self as a college senior. At first, the veteran Penn State safety from Trenton, N.J., needed a moment to find his words. But, as he started talking, his message became crystal clear. "I don't think he'd believe me," Brown said. "Because growing up as a kid, I never looked into the future. I always stayed in the present. I never worried about what I could accomplish at the D-I level or what kind of accolades I would eventually have. I just lived in the present. "l never even thought about my future and what kind of guy I was going to be. I just was a very down-to-earth guy. So, I don't think my older [self] will believe me. I've come so far. It's been unbelievable, and surreal." Brown was a star at Trenton Catholic, but he needed some time at Lackawanna College before he was ready for the FBS level. Maybe more than any other experi- ence in his life, his tenure at the Scranton- based school shaped the man known best to friends and family as "Tig" because of how he bounced around as a child like Tigger from the "Winnie the Pooh" car- toons. "It made me hungrier to go out there and perform and get that number one spot," Brown said. "Lackawanna made me gritty for the game. It made me more appreciative of life in general, like being able to play the sport. Some guys after high school stop playing the sport, and they don't get opportunities to play again. Lackawanna gave me that opportunity to play again, and it was a great feeling. "I watched a lot of guys come out of my high school and not play football. So, that switch flipped for me instantly at Lack- awanna, seeing that I can play football again. I'm a fifth-string guy. I've got to work my way up. "That's just like life. You start off hav- ing to work your way up, you know? I started off having to work my way up, and that's how I always grew. When I went to Lackawanna, I had to work my way up to the top, and that's what made me the guy I am today." Fast forward a few years, and the senior is the leader of a Penn State defense that is under new leadership, with Manny Diaz taking over as coordinator following Brent Pry's departure to become head coach at Virginia Tech. The former Miami (Fla.) head coach had to be thrilled that Brown elected to return, considering that he tied for the FBS lead with 6 interceptions and also made 73 tackles as a junior. Brown said his experience at Lackawa- nna helped him get off to a quick start in State College. But he added that all of the strong performances he turned in during the 2021 season barely scratched the sur- face of what he is capable of doing. "I don't feel like I did enough last year," he said. "I feel like I could have had a way better season last year. I'm planning on having a way better season now. "It's no pressure on me, because last year is not the cap to where I set my play at. That's a very low cap to where I played last year. I can play way better than that." Specifically, Brown said he believes he can be even more opportunistic than he was during the 2021 season, even though only two players in the nation — Oregon's Verone McKinley III and Baylor's JT Woods — equaled his interception total. "I probably dropped a couple last year," Brown said. "I could have ended up with like 9 or 10. That won't happen again. My tackling could have been better. My play could have been better. Reading keys could have been better. My whole game could have been better last year. Last year was not who I am. "It was a great season for me, and I know that. But that was not who I wanted to be. I wanted to be a way better player than that. That's no pressure to me this year. I don't feel any pressure, because I know I can be a way better player than last year." That should be music to the ears of Nit- tany Nation, and it certainly is to Brown's position coach. Anthony Poindexter, an All-American during his playing days at Virginia and a College Football Hall of Famer, knows what it takes to be great, and he sees it in his top safety. It's a com- bination of the little things that can help Brown become the player he wants to be. "I've been fortunate enough to be around a few guys like Tig in my coaching career," Poindexter said. "They just know how to play football. He's got good num- bers as far as the weight room and run- ning and all that kind of stuff. But when he hits the grass, he's just got a sense [of where to be]. He sees the game in pic- tures, which you have to do as a safety. He just knows where the ball is com- ing out, and he figures out how to go get it. He's just unique that way. "He's always around. He's a physical kid, very football intel- ligent, and he might be one of the best kids I've ever been around. I love coaching him HUNGER GAMES A junior college detour only served to intensify safety Ji'Ayir Brown's desire to make the most of his opportunities, on and off the football field G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G. P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M