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Where did Ji'Ayir Brown's nickname of 'Tig' come from?

The first sign of Ji'Ayir Brown's eventual emergence as one of Penn State's starting safeties in 2021 came back on March 24 when head coach James Franklin fielded questions from reporters following yet another spring practice.

"Ji'Ayir, who, we call him 'TIG', Tig's had a really good spring," Franklin said. "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.

"He's an awesome young man in general. He's very appreciative of the opportunity being here at Penn State. He's from Trenton originally, and obviously, Lackawanna really prepared him, so he's kind of standing out right now."

Brown would win the job opposite fellow former Falcon Jaquan Brisker, and he scored one of the biggest moments of his career in Week 1 by securing the Nittany Lions 16-10 win over then No. 12 Wisconsin with a game-sealing interception as time expired.

That's all known to Nittany Lions fans, of course, but as you might have heard, or seen on his social media accounts, Brown is often referred to as 'Tig' instead of by his first or last name, and the reason why dates back to his youth and a cartoon character who is familiar to many.

Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown defends a pass at Wisconsin. Later in the game, he'd intercept a Badgers' pass to secure the Nittany Lions' victory. BWI photo/Steve Manuel
Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown defends a pass at Wisconsin. Later in the game, he'd intercept a Badgers' pass to secure the Nittany Lions' victory. BWI photo/Steve Manuel
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"Yeah, so definitely from the cartoon character from Winnie the Pooh, Tigger the Tiger," Brown told reporters. "My original nickname was Tigger because I used to jump around a lot when I was a baby, and as I got older, I didn't want people calling me Tigger, so I just cut it short to have people calling me Tig, so that's how I came with the nickname."

Brown may have grown out of the longer version of the nickname, but his style of play is befitting of it either way.

Against the Badgers, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound talent bounced all over the field to the tune of six tackles, a near interception that turned into a pass breakup, and the eventual turnover that guaranteed Penn State's first road ranked win of the season. All told, he played a position-high 79 snaps that day in Madison despite missing a few others due to a brief injury situation, but at no point in time did he run out of energy during his first start at the FBS level.

“We had a lot of guys who were hungry and eager to get the win," Brown said. "We were not going to let anything bad happen. It was going to be on our terms. We were going to control the game on defense.”

Penn State recruited Brown out of the Class of 2020. The son of Joy Ingram was a two-time team captain at Trenton Central High School and three-time first-team all-conference pick at the prep level before moving on to Lackawanna, where he was an NCJAA All-America first team as a sophomore. The defensive back earned an offer from the Nittany Lions following a summer camp performance in June 2019 and committed a few days later.

"I think the thing that stood out to me, right way, when I recruited Tig, he's just an awesome kid," Franklin said Tuesday. "He's always got a smile on his face. One of the things that stood out to me, that I think is telling, is how many family members were there, how many people from the community were there. His high school coach, Pop Warner coach, were all there, and they just all love Tig.

"That's the type of guy he is. You love to coach him. He's got a really good way about him to be one of the guys with his teammates, but also has a really good way, a respectable, coachable, fun way to be around coaches and adults as well."

Brown will be back in the starting lineup on Saturday when Penn State hosts Ball State for its home opener at Beaver Stadium, and he's looking forward to both another chance to hit the field and also the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd there for the first time. He never got to do that while cutting his teeth in blue and white during the 2020 season, of course, but when game time arrives, 'Tig' will be bouncing around like everyone else inside of the venue as he gets another chance to showcase his skillset.

“I’ve always been a guy who lives in the present," Brown said. "I did everything I was supposed to do and hoped for the best. I never really thought about my future when I was at Lackawanna or at high school.

“I always knew I was going to be somewhere where I was going to wind up being great.”

Added Franklin:

"I think there is still a lot left in the tank for him. I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. Saw a few flashes last year. I think you'll see more this year as the year goes on. Really proud of him, really excited about him. I'm glad he's on our team. I think you guys, you and the fans, will really enjoy getting to know him because he's a special young man and his mom did a great job raising him."

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