Ji'Ayir Brown, in final Penn State season, takes leadership strides

Any assessment of Penn State’s safeties this spring, naturally, begins with Ji’Ayir Brown. 

Announcing his return for the 2022 season last December, the decision was an obvious boost to the program’s potential. A third-team All-Big Ten nod, coming off a career game against Arkansas in the bowl with two interceptions, Brown’s opportunity for improvement was what appealed most.

“I look forward to learning, growing, and developing more as a player, a student, and a man,” Brown wrote. “I’m grateful for my coaches, teammates, the support staff, and everyone who makes up Penn State Athletics. I look forward to another year with you all.”

Now into Penn State’s fourth week of spring practices, the manifestation of that intent is now abundantly clear.

Brown, determined to make the most of another season in the program before embarking on his NFL future, has done exactly that. 

Brown’s on-field impact

On the field, Brown’s potential is understood. Coming off a standout season in which he finished tied for the national high with six interceptions, playmaking is at the forefront of his resume. His 73 tackles were third on the team and, with a PFF coverage grade of 77.5, he was third among Penn State’s defensive backs.

Lauded by former teammates Tariq Castro-Fields and Drew Hartlaub for his talent, the expectations for Brown’s on-field production are lofty this season.

“I think he’s gonna be the best safety,” Castro-Fields said. “I just told him the other day, I’m like, ‘Bro, you’re gonna go crazy,’ because I know the work he puts in, I know the talent he has. He finds the football like nobody else. Tig is gonna be crazy.”

The element that has emerged this spring, though, has less to do with Brown’s game-changing potential.

Rather, throughout the program, in the nearly four months spanning the end of Penn State’s season to now, Brown has transformed with his leadership. 

And, given the major losses sustained in the category, particularly on defense, that emergence could not come at a better time for Penn State. 

“We got to understand we’ve lost some significant guys from an experience, from a leadership standpoint, we got to develop who those leaders are,” head coach James Franklin said this spring. “I think Tig and Sean (Clifford) have been really good from that perspective so far. Tig, I’ve seen probably the biggest difference. Of all the guys in our program, it has probably been Tig.”

Next steps

Most directly, that impact has been among Brown’s safety teammates. 

Long cited as one of the heavy influences in helping Keaton Ellis transition from corner to safety last season, that dynamic hasn’t changed this spring. According to Ellis, that guiding hand has shown up in a variety of forms, from the field to the meeting room and beyond.

“Ji’Ayir Brown is a great player and you always can trust him to know that he’s gonna do his job and be able to make plays,” Ellis said. “So it’s comforting to have him there. And, playing alongside him is cool. He’s a very smart dude, football-wise. 

“And so, I’ve learned a lot from him. There are little things too, outside the playbook, things that he does specifically. It has been really good for me in my process of growing in the safety position. He’s been a key part of that. And I thank him for that.”

Brown’s circle of influence this spring has extended well beyond the safeties, though.

Taking ownership of a defense sustaining losses of starters at every level from last season, coordinator Manny Diaz acknowledged what Brown has meant to the unit this spring.

“Ji’Ayir Brown, absolutely,” Diaz said of standouts who have helped ease his transition. “Not just vocally, he certainly is a great vocal leader. But, again, if you want to guy as a coach that you’re honored to coach, it’s this guy. 

“He just does everything the way you want him to do it. If you have 11 of him, you wouldn’t need a coach.”