Barion Brown is Chasing History for Kentucky Football in 2024

Barion Brown is the fastest player in college football. He uses that speed to return kicks for touchdowns and this season he has a chance to become the best to ever do it in a Kentucky uniform.

Think about this for a second. One out of every eight kickoff returns fielded by Barion Brown is a touchdown. Before I dive into more details, let me hit you with one other silly stat. Barion started his first two seasons of college football with a return touchdown in the opening game. If that trend continues Saturday he’ll only be two away from tying the NCAA record.

The junior from Nashville has four kickoff return touchdowns in his two-year career, which is already a school record. The NCAA record is seven, tied among a handful of people, most notably CJ Spiller and Rashaad Penny.

There is one Kentucky Wildcat he’s still chasing. Derek Abney regularly put the team on his back as a return man. A First Team All-American back in 2002, he set the NCAA record with six punt return touchdowns. He tallied two more on kickoffs to give him eight total special teams touchdowns during his four-year career.

Doubling his total will be tough, to say the least, but he may receive more opportunities this fall. Previously limited almost exclusively to kickoffs, this year he will rotate in with Ja’Mori Maclin as the Cats’ punt returner.

He must continue his explosive ways to hold onto one Kentucky record. Through two seasons Barion Brown averages 31.75 yards per attempt, almost four more than Derrick Locke. That impressive figure is one reason why Southern Miss head coach Will Hall believes Brown is the best he’s ever seen field a kickoff.

“He’s the best I’ve ever coached against,” Hall said about Brown after talking about Kentucky’s kicking game. “I’ve coached against Tyreek Hill. He’s really, really dynamic.”

Highlights from Barion Brown’s 2023 Season

Which kickoff return touchdown was your favorite? The season-opener, the 100-yard house call vs. Louisville, or the impressive play against Clemson in the Gator Bowl? The good news is you don’t have to choose when you watch this entertaining highlight package.

Two More Kentucky Football Records to Watch

Barion Brown probably had the biggest pop last season, but Maxwell Hairston was not far behind. The breakthrough player of the year is a preseason All-SEC selection after the cornerback picked off a league-best five passes.

Two of those interceptions were at Vanderbilt. He returned each for touchdowns. There’s only been one other Kentucky Wildcat with more pick sixes than Mr. Hairston. Dallas Owens returned three interceptions for touchdowns between 1974-77.

JJ Weaver‘s longevity is giving the Super Senior an opportunity to climb up the record book. He has 32 career tackles for loss, the eighth-most by a Wildcat since the stat became available in 1977. If Weaver can replicate the best-performing season of his career, he’ll surpass Josh Hines-Allen and only trail Oliver Barnett by one for the top spot.