Barion Brown Adds Mental Toughness to his Toolbox

Barion Brown has skills that cannot be taught. When Daikiel Shorts arrived in Lexington as the new wide receivers coach, the former West Virginia standout was blown away by No. 7.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played with or had anyone as talented who’s just able to stretch the field and make plays downfield as Barion,” Shorts said this week.

Brown can easily run by opponents, but that’s only one part of playing the wide receiver position. To truly unlock his potential, Shorts challenged Brown. The challenges were just as mental as they were physical.

Adding Accountability

This offseason Shorts created a plan for his wide receivers. Part of that plan started in the weight room. When No. 6 and No. 7 step onto the field next Saturday, you will see that each achieved that goal. Brown received immediate benefits from reaching those short-term goals.

“It felt great, just setting some goals for myself and actually exceeding the goals,” said Brown. “It feels great to actually be held accountable for something and meeting the responsibilities that I set for myself.”

Doing the little things correctly makes the big goals so much more attainable. That’s not always been the case for Barion Brown. Routine plays have not always looked routine. Early in his career, he let mistakes compound.

“One, I just want to say I’m extremely proud of him.” Shorts added: “He’s just got some God-given ability that none of us have. But just mentally, we really wanted him to get mentally tougher, and I think that’s something that he got better at this summer, trusting his teammates, trusting his coaching, just being more dependable and reliable. The biggest thing is just his mental aspect. I think he grew. He matured a lot off of that.”

Brown is Growing by Moving on to the Next Play

When I asked Barion what he’s learned from Daikiel Shorts, I expected to hear something about fundamentals in route-running. None of it was tangible. It’s all between the ears.

“Always keep your composure, be mentally strong,” he responded. “It’s so much stuff I can say that he teaches me to just be mentally stronger. I’ve always got to keep my head on the right, on a swivel at all times. I love Coach Shorts.”

Marshawn Lynch reminded athletes to take care of their mentals. That’s exactly what Barion Brown needed ahead of a pressure-packed third season in Lexington. Instead of feeling the pressure, he’s at ease, ready to make his next big play for the Kentucky Wildcats.

“It’s my best camp I’ve had so far, just from a mental standpoint, performance standpoint. All around, I just feel like this has been a good one for me, and I just can’t wait to showcase it,” said Brown.

“I’m keeping the next-play mentality. Drops don’t happen. Mistakes don’t happen. Nobody’s perfect. So, (I’m) keeping that in the back of my head so when something does go wrong, adversity hits, next-play mentality. Get up and let’s go.”