AJ Brown, one of the greatest Ole Miss Rebels ever, has made some NFL history
AJ Brown is, inarguably, one of, if not the greatest, Ole Miss Rebels in program history.
Now, he’s making his case for best wide receiver in the NFL.
Brown is in his fifth season and second with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Tennessee Titans drafted the all-time Rebel great in the second round (pick No. 51) of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He made history on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, becoming the first player in league history with 125 receiving yards or more in six straight games. He broke a record previously set by Calvin Johnson, whose Hall of Fame career included the most receiving yards (5,137) over a three-season stretch in NFL history.
“Shout-out to Calvin Johnson, man,” Brown told The Athletic last week. “Just to be beside his name, it says a lot. That guy’s a Hall of Fame receiver.
“Something I hope to be one day.”
RELATED: Before he was a Super Bowl-er, AJ Brown was (and still is) a Rebel legend
Brown’s well on his way.
He was up to eight catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the game when he broke Johnson’s record. His first score, a one-handed grab, immediately went viral on social media and across the internet for both its difficulty and Brown’s acrobatics.
Brown went over 130 receiving yards in three of his previous five games. He had nine catches for 175 yards and a pair of scores against the Commodores October 1. Before this season, he’d recorded consecutive games of 125 yards or more just once.
“He’s a great player, and he works really hard to be where he is and do what he’s doing,” said Jalen Hurts, the quarterback of the Eagles, and a long-time friend of Brown’s. Hurts was also speaking with The Athletic.
“We need that from him. He’s worked at it, and it’s showing.”
Brown has seemingly been his team’s go-to receiver dating back to his high school days at Starkville (Mississippi) High School.
The Rebels landed Brown — then a four-star recruit — out of the back yard of their in-state rival, Mississippi State. He went on to become the Rebels’ all-time leading receiver (2,984).
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Brown, an All-American and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, finished his Ole Miss career with the most 100-yard receiving games in school history (12). He was third in career receptions (189) and fifth in receiving touchdowns (19). He was also the only Ole Miss receiver on record with 60 or more receptions in back-to-back seasons.
Brown last season caught 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Eagles reached the Super Bowl, and Brown, in the process, was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time. His 155 yards (on 10 receptions) in a week-one win over the Detroit Lions set a new franchise record.
A record he broke this season.
“(Ole Miss) means everything, man,” Brown said at Super Bowl Media Day in February. “I bleed red and blue. (Ole Miss) is always home. I’m trying to finish the job. I know my Ole Miss family is proud of me.
“That place will forever have a big place in my heart. I’d like to say thank you to Ole Miss and the people that helped me get here when I was there.”
