Barion Brown Earns All-American Honors from Sporting News

Barion Brown is the best kick returner in America. That is not a matter of opinion. The Kentucky Wildcat received prestigious postseason All-American honors for his effort on special teams.

The Sporting News is one of four publications that is factored into Consensus All-American Status. On Wednesday Barion Brown was named First Team All-American kick returner by the outlet. Here’s what they had to say about the Kentucky Wildcat:

“Brown was one of five players with two kickoff return touchdowns who averaged more than 30 yards per return this season. He scored on a return TD in the opener against Ball State and the regular-season finale against Louisville – where he had four returns for 180 yards.”

The sophomore from Nashville tied a pair of school records: Craig Yeast for most kickoff return touchdowns in a career (3) and Derek Abney for most kickoff return touchdowns in a season (2).

The all-purpose player led UK in pass receptions with 40, good for 439 yards and three scores, had three punt returns for 51 yards (17.0 average), and had 10 rushing attempts for 121 yards (12.1 average).

The second kick return touchdown of the year sparked an unforgettable comeback. Trailing 17-7 in the third quarter, he sprinted from the Kentucky end zone untouched for a 100-yard score. The underdogs trailed by 10 in the second half before outscoring Louisville 17-7 in the final quarter. Kentucky’s fifth-straight Governor’s Cup win was the highest-ranked victory of the Mark Stoops era.

College Football’s Fastest Five of Week 13

1. Kentucky WR Barion Brown (@BarionBrown) 22.6 mph #ReelSpeed

🔗 https://t.co/UFKB2eWAzC pic.twitter.com/4JykypekBr

— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) November 30, 2023

Brown also earned second team All-America honors from CBS Sports and third team honors from College Football Network. He was named second-team All-SEC from the league’s coaches and The Associated Press.

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