Getting Barion Brown the ball is a top priority for Bush Hamdan

Expectations were otherworldly for Barion Brown entering his sophomore campaign at Kentucky. The Wildcats had traded out Rich Scangarello for Liam Coen, the man who called the shots in a year of all-time chemistry between Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson in 2021. Brown produced as a freshman to the tune of 604 yards and four scores on 45 receptions under Scangarello, so what could he do under Coen with Devin Leary, arguably the top quarterback in the portal at the time, throwing him the ball?

The former top-100 recruit saw dips in receptions (43) and receiving yards (539) with an equal number of touchdowns (4) while adding 121 rushing yards on 10 carries. He had his highs — 100 yards and a score vs. Clemson and 105 yards at Vanderbilt come to mind — but he also had eight games of 40 yards or fewer.

He and Leary never found their chemistry, one of many disappointing storylines coming out of the program’s ho-hum 7-6 season. With Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff leading the charge at quarterback, first-year offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan plans to learn from the program’s past mistakes and find ways to get the ball in the star receiver’s hands.

“Everything we have to do is to throw the ball downfield and get him those opportunities,” Hamdan said Friday. “In this system, we want to run the football, but the number one first and foremost thing is to create explosive plays.”

Brown is going to get his touches, a non-negotiable for this offense. No excuse to have a weapon of his caliber waving his hand in the air 40 yards downfield as the ball smacks the back of the left guard’s helmet. Hamdan agrees: No. 7 is a player.

But it’s not just to rack up the counting stats for the junior receiver, either. In fact, there’s equal intrigue in what Brown’s defensive interest will do for the other playmakers on offense. If all goes as planned, the double coverage Brown sees will result in single coverage elsewhere — a dream scenario for guys like Dane Key, Ja’Mori Maclin, Fred Farrier II and Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Everybody will eat if Barion Brown eats.

“We are going to look to do that early, we are going to look to do that often with him and some of the other guys in this room that can do it,” Hamdan said. “When you have a premier player like him, defenses are going to lean to his side at times and create a lot of one‑on‑one opportunities for about five or six other guys that we feel can all contribute and make plays. 

“We are excited about the potential for throwing him the ball down the field, but also getting him the ball in space and seeing what he can do as a ball carrier.”

Prepare for a career season out of No. 7.