Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
2 8 M A R C H 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 4 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / F rom the jump, Penn State had re- ceiver Josiah Brown pegged as a pri- ority target. And with good reason — the three-star New York wideout boasted blazing speed, measured at 10.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash. "He was a guy that we identified very early on," PSU head coach James Franklin said. "He had track times to back it up. Came to camp [at Penn State] and ran really well." The interest turned out to be mutual. Brown was sold on the Nittany Lions, and in June 2023, he gave them a verbal commitment, picking them over offers from Georgia and Rutgers. In addition to his official visit to Penn State, he had also taken one to Piscataway, N.J., to check out the Scarlet Knights. But his connec- tion with the PSU coaching staff, partic- ularly Franklin and wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, convinced him that he belonged in blue and white. "Like Coach Hagans, Coach Frank- lin has a great personality," Brown said. "He was giving me some life lessons. But also, Coach Franklin is just a fun guy. He's funny, but he has a good mix of that and being serious when it's time to be serious. He showed my family a lot of love. I have nothing but respect for him." That respect was validated fully for Brown last fall. In October, he suffered a noncontact injury to his right knee that was comprehensive in nature. Dur- ing Malverne High's game against Cold Spring Harbor, he tore the anterior cru- ciate and medial collateral ligaments, as well as his meniscus. And it happened with Franklin looking on from the stands. The injury brought a premature end to a season that had just gotten off the ground for Brown. He had totaled 589 all-purpose yards and 8 touchdowns prior to getting hurt. Forced to undergo surgery, Brown saw his status in recruiting circles suffer as a result. He was at No. 297 in the On3 Industry Ranking for the class of 2024 at the time of the injury and was the No. 50 wide receiver in the country. But after getting hurt, he tumbled to No. 520 over- all and No. 81 at receiver. Undeterred, Franklin and the Penn State coaching staff welcomed Brown as a December signee, ultimately bringing him into the program as an early enrollee in January. During an in-home visit with Franklin and members of the Nittany Lion staff, Brown and his family grew confident that Penn State had a solid plan for his future. "Coach Franklin explained the plan that they're setting for me," he said. "We talked about my injury and that they have great doctors up there and that I'll be well taken care of. "When I go up there, I'll be attacking rehab hard. They were explaining how I can keep gaining weight while rehabbing everything." That process is now underway, and it's one that Brown will lean into while he works to reward Penn State's confidence in his future. — Nate Bauer Brown amassed 589 all-purpose yards last fall before suffering a season-ending knee injury in October. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER JOSIAH BROWN New York receiver works to battle back from knee injury WR | 5-11 | 175 Malverne Malverne, N.Y. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★ 520 81 3 On3 ★★★ — 89 5 ESPN ★★★★ 176 8 1 Rivals ★★★ — 103 3 247Sports ★★★ — 81 3 Statistics • Totaled 589 all-purpose yards and 8 touch- downs before his injury as a senior • Had 23 receptions for 452 yards and 8 touchdowns as a junior playing for Holy Trinity High in Hicksville, N.Y. Notable • All-state and All-Nassau County selection in 2023 • Three-time All-Catholic League choice • All-state honors in track Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on June 23, 2023 • Recruited by receivers coach Marques Hagans • Received offer in March 2022, followed by three unofficial trips and an official visit in June 2023 • Picked Penn State over Rutgers and Geor- gia, with offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, among others 2024 Projection Coming off a season-ending injury, Brown isn't expected to be a significant contributor in the fall, even with wide receiver being a position of need. Instead, his first few months with the Nittany Lions will be dedicated to getting back to full health and building him- self up physically. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Brown is consistently faster than his opponents on film. When given a chance to run routes downfield, he can turn a skinny post into a touchdown with a second gear that blows away the secondary. "When we look at his listed times, he has a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash on his résumé and is consistently below 11 seconds in his 100-meter times. In many ways, Brown is the modern receiver who can turn a small amount of space into a big play. Penn State has had great success with these players, from KJ Hamler to Jahan Dotson." T H E B R O W N F I L E