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Underdog mentality driving Ji'Ayir Brown to impactful spring performance

Before he’d even played a down for Penn State, Ji'Ayir Brown had made an impression on his teammates and coaches in his first months in the program.

Joining the Nittany Lions as a junior after spending two seasons at Lackawanna Community College, the 5-foot-11, 212-pound safety out of Trenton, N.J., arrived with relatively little fanfare. Rated a three-star by Rivals, with offers to only Penn State and Kent State, the journey that delivered Brown to the Nittany Lions had made its mark.

“Ji'Ayir is a very mature young man. He is a very appreciative young man,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said ahead of the 2020 season. “He's come in and understood what it takes to be successful here. He's just very appreciative of what Penn State has to offer. He's got a very businesslike, mature approach, and because of that, he's gotten better. Every day. In the weight room, he's gotten better in meetings, he's gotten better understanding the importance and the impact of special teams, he just continues to get better. We're very excited about him.”

Ji'Ayir Brown finished with six tackles in his debut season with the Nittany Lions in 2020.
Ji'Ayir Brown finished with six tackles in his debut season with the Nittany Lions in 2020.
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Through an amended, nine-game 2020 season, winter workouts, and now the program’s spring practice sessions, the early assessments have proven worthy for Brown.

Said by Jahan Dotson to have made two “crazy” interceptions in one practice period, and by Jaquan Brisker to be getting “his feet under himself,” Brown is positioning himself to make a run at a starting job in 2021. Competing with veteran Jonathan Sutherland for the spot, Brown told reporters that the unit’s meshing with new position coach Anthony Poindexter has helped allow for an environment in which everyone has taken immediate strides.

“Dex has been a tremendous fit for us. He's a guy who actually played the position and he knows the ins and outs of the positions, so he's teaching us a lot,” Brown said. “The guys in this room right now, we're all competing for a job. Everybody in here is learning at a fast pace. They're adjusting to the new coach very well. They're playing at an unbelievable pace.

“From the one to the bottom, it's been a great experience to play with Dex and get to learn this defense. Everybody's competing for that job.”

And within that competition, Brown has attempted to stand out in his own, understated way.

Having taken on the responsibility of learning both the field and boundary safety positions, “Tig” - a nickname bestowed upon him during his childhood, after the Winnie the Pooh character Tigger, due to his proclivity for “jumping around” - also has immersed himself in learning the defense as a whole. Wanting to understand the responsibilities of the defensive line, linebackers, and corners, all to better recognize where he fits into that scheme, the result has been an improved ability to take advantage of opportunities to make plays on the ball when they arrive.

“Tig's had a really good spring. I think he's leading us right now in turnovers and he's just much more comfortable and much more confident, which we typically see in second-year players, whether you're a second-year high school or second-year junior college player,” Franklin said. “He's an awesome young man in general. He's very appreciative of the opportunity to be here at Penn State. He's kind of standing out right now.”

According to Brown, though, that, and his performance in his debut season, finishing with six tackles, a TFL, and a pass breakup in nine games (130 total snaps), has all been by design.

Determined to make an immediate impact in the program, then build on it, the gradual development in every facet, from the weight room to the film room and out onto the practice field, all of it has helped to prepare him for what’s ahead.

“I'm taking it step by step. Learn the defense more, push myself in the weight room, trying to maximize my potential as much as I can,” Brown said. “I’m listening to Coach Dex, getting his input on everything, and just really trying to build my character and maximize myself as much as possible.

“I’ve been an underdog my whole life… so I go into practice, I go into places I've never been before with just that mentality mindset like I'm an underdog here. Nobody expects me to do anything. I have to earn everything I get. So that's been my mentality since high school, before I got to Lackawanna, just earn everything you get. Nothing is given.”

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