After his freshman season at Kentucky, Barion Brown looked like a player who might spend three years playing college football and then declare for the NFL draft.
He was one of the top receivers in the country coming out of high school in Tennessee and then he put together a fantastic freshman season in Lexington.
In 2022, Brown was a freshman All-SEC performer as he broke Kentucky records for most catches and receiving yards as a freshman, 50 grabs for 628 yards. The former track star in high school had 10 catches for 145 yards against number one ranked Georgia that year.
There was a slight drop off offensively in his sophomore season as he caught 43 passes for 539 yards and four touchdowns. But Brown led the nation in kickoff return average as he returned three kicks for touchdowns.
But last year was an atrocious season for Kentucky as they went 4-8 overall, 1-7 in the SEC.
The offense was putrid as the Wildcats only completed 54% of their passes and their quarterbacks threw more interceptions than touchdowns.
They had a hard time getting Brown the ball as he caught 29 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. The speedster continued to excel at special teams, but after three seasons in Lexington it was time to go.
However, Brown was not ready to give the NFL a try, he entered the transfer portal in December and quickly made the decision to play at LSU.
“On my official (visit) when I came here, I let them know that I am somebody that is going to take the top (off the defense), give me screens, just whatever you do, get the ball in my hands and I’ll make a play,” Brown said.
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Expect Brown to get plenty of opportunities, even though LSU is loaded at the receiver position.
“We gel so good together, everyone wants to see the best out of each other, it’s competitive for sure,” Brown said.
Coach Brian Kelly says there are eight caliber SEC receivers on this team, but Brown, Aaron Anderson and Chris Hilton are expected to see the most playing time.
Opposing defenses will find it difficult to cover both Brown and Hilton, who are both very fast.
Brown has found a comfort level in Baton Rouge, and it starts with his receivers coach Cortez Hankton.
“He get me right with the little things, route running, speed cutting, just knowing the playing book, I thanked him probably a week ago, because he got me better in spots that I didn’t even know I can get better at,” Hankton said.
A big season from Brown and this offense might be able to achieve some things it didn’t know was possible.