Barion Brown looks to build off strong freshman campaign

Barion Brown wasted little time showing the college football world what he could do upon arriving at Kentucky.

Brown was a starter from the opening game and made his impact known right away with a kick return for a touchdown in the season opener.

Barion Brown

• Position: Wide Receiver
• Class: Sophomore
• Measurements: 6-foot-1, 166 lbs.
• Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
• School: Pearl Cohn
• Recruiting Rankings: Was ranked as a four-star recruit by 247 Sports Composite

As a freshman, Brown led Kentucky with 50 catches for 628 yards, while hauling in 4 touchdowns, which was second-most on the team.

His freshman year performance was good enough to land on several post-season awards lists, including the Freshman All-SEC team and the PFF College All True Freshman team.

And especially in Kentucky’s game against Georgia, Brown really showed what he is able to do, racking up 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.

Now a sophomore, Brown is looking to build off that strong freshman season.

Brown, who will be switching numbers from #2 to #7 this season, will be one of the top options for incoming QB Devin Leary, and the college football world is projecting a big season for the sophomore wideout.

Brown has already been named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award and was named to the All-SEC second team as a specialist and third-team offense as a wide receiver.

Brown, along with Dane Key and Tayvion Robinson, form a great trio of pass catchers for the Wildcats this season, and with the addition of Liam Coen, that’s a group that has the ability to lead what could be the best passing offense of the Mark Stoops era.

Coen, after all, was a key part in recruiting Brown to Kentucky, and he said he’s looking forward to seeing Brown take the next step.

“I think they learned the game is physical in the SEC. Whether that’s press and defeating man coverage, or that’s going and blocking safeties, I think they know they need to take the next step physically,” Coen said via Your Sports Edge.

“That’s eating right, that’s sleeping, how you’re living off the field and doing all of the little things to put yourself in a position to gain weight and gain muscle, or else we’re going to get thrown around and be weak at the point of attack, which is obviously what we’re not trying to get accomplished.”

With a full offseason of strength and conditioning at Kentucky plus a year of SEC experience, along with the additions of Liam Coen and Devin Leary, Barion Brown could be a breakout player in the SEC.