Former Ole Miss punter Mac Brown became a viral sensation with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians this season
Former Ole Miss punter Mac Brown certainly made the most of his XFL opportunity.
Both with his leg AND his arm.
Sure, his leg has obviously been his greatest weapon since his four-year Ole Miss career. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Brown averaged 43.7 yards per punt as a Rebel, including a long of 65. He had over 7,400 yards on 170 career punts.
But he expanded his range as a player and gained brief viral fame for a couple of big-hit tackles on punt coverage in the 2021 Egg Bowl. On the first, he immediately hopped up and turned towards the Mississippi State sideline to talk trash — in an exchange that drew praise from national football analyst and former NFL punter Pat McAfee. Brown as a Rebel also raised nearly $150k for ALS research through his ‘Awesome Lemonade Stand.’
And he’s only continued his headline-grabbing, non-kicking exploits as a professional.
The 24-year-old Brown in February signed with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians and joined the team for their third game against the Arlington Renegades. Nearly two months laters, and in the final two games of the season, he threw a pair of again-viral-worthy, fake-punt big-gainers in back-to-back games.
The latest was an 84-yard completion on fourth-and-21 to tight end Jordan Thomas in a 53-28 loss to the St. Louis Battlehawks on Saturday. Thomas is formerly of the NFL’s Houston Texans. The loss was the final game of the season for the Guardians, who finished 1-9.
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Brown was one of the Guardians’ few bright spots.
He averaged 44.8 yards per punt this season, with a long of 60. Eight of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard-line.
But he also led the XFL in yards per completion.
To be fair, he only had three attempts, the last of which was intercepted. But both completions went for 65-plus yards. The first — which also set the internet on fire — was last weekend. Brown floated a near-perfect pass down the sideline to gunner KD Cannon for a 69-yard gain on fourth-and-5.
But Brown saved his best for last. And from inside his own 10-yard-line, no less.
He floated another beauty of a pass, though this time his intended receiver, Thomas, was well-covered. Still, Thomas made the catch and broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone.
The score gave the Guardians a 12-9 second-quarter lead.
“Punting was kind of just was a gift that carried over from me playing soccer,” Brown said, in a previous Ole Miss interview. “I’m very unique in my approach. I don’t model my game after anyone specifically. I just try to put the ball in the best spot for our defense to run out there and get a stop.
“There’s a lot of great punters in the NFL. To me, that’s competition. That’s something I want to reach and a goal I have is to be the best and compete with the best.”
