Ji'Ayir Brown

HISTORY — from college bio

 

Career Notes: Had a hand in 16 career takeaways as a Nittany Lion (10 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles)...Finished with 10 career interceptions at Penn State, good for a tie for 12th in program history...Posted 234 career interception return yards, the second-most at Penn State since 2000. 

2022 (sr): Selected third-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media...Named a Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten third team selection...Named Penn State's team MVP and winner of the Iron Lion Award...Started 13 games at safety...Owned 74 tackles (56 solo) with seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three pass breakups and five quarterback hurries...Earned the coaching staff's Defensive Player of the Week three times (Auburn, 9/17; Northwestern, 10/1; Utah, 1/2)...Earned the coaching staff's Special Teams Player of the Week (Michigan State, 11/26)...Voted a team captain...at Purdue (9/1): Made five solo stops. Ohio (9/10): Made five tackles (4 solo)...Added a half tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Auburn (9/17): Tallied five tackles (four solo), a sack, a forced fumble and an interception...Recorded a strip-sack in the third quarter, his first career sack and second career forced fumble...Picked off a pass deep in Penn State territory and returned it 27 yards in the third quarter. Tabbed Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and named honorable mention Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week...Central Michigan (9/24): Made four tackles (3 solo) with a pair of quarterback hurries...Hurry in the first quarter forced a Zakee Wheatley interception. Northwestern (10/1): Recorded an interception in the first quarter and returned it 30 yards...Made six tackles (5 solo) to go along with a tackle for loss...Added a quarterback hurry. at Michigan (10/15): Led the squad with nine tackles (4 solo), including one tackle for loss. Minnesota (10/22): Registered seven total tackles (6 solo)...Snagged his third interception of the season and ran it back 35 yards to spark a Nittany Lion scoring drive...Added a pass breakup. Ohio State (10/29): Led the squad with eight tackles (6 solo). at Indiana (11/5): Recorded three tackles (2 solo)...Picked up his second sack of the season. Maryland (11/12): Made three tackles (2 solo), including a sack...Added a pass breakup. at Rutgers (11/19): Picked up four tackles (2 solo)...Recovered a fumble that he returned 70 yards for a touchdown. Michigan State (11/26): Posted seven solo tackles...Forced a fumble...Added a quarterback hurry...Rose Bowl vs. Utah (1/2): Recorded a career-high 1.5 sacks to go along with an interception and return of 22 yards in the Rose Bowl Game win. Named Rose Bowl Game Defensive MVP.

 

2021 (sr): Named a third team All-Big Ten honoree by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. Started all 13 games at safety...Was one of 13 Nittany Lions to make their first career start...Posted 73 tackles (61 solo) to go along with six interceptions, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a tackle for loss...Had a hand in eight takeaways (six interceptions, two fumble recoveries)...Tied for the nation's lead with six interceptions...The six picks were the most by a Penn State player since Anthony Scirrotto also had six in 2006...Became the first Nittany Lion with six interceptions and two fumble recoveries in a season since Alan Zemaitis in 2005 (six interceptions, two fumble recoveries)...Named the Coaching Staff's Defensive Player of the Week three times (Villanova, 9/25; Indiana, 10/2; Maryland, 11/6)...his two fumble recoveries tied him for third in the Big Ten...at Wisconsin (9/4): Registered first career interception as time expired to secure the victory...Tallied five tackles (4 solo) and a pass breakup. Ball State (9/11): Recorded a solo tackle and a pass breakup. Auburn (9/18): Made three tackles (2 solo) while adding a pass breakup. Villanova (9/25): Tallied an interception, three solo tackles and a tackle for loss. Indiana (10/2): Picked off a pass in the fourth quarter...Added two solo tackles. at Iowa (10/9): Made five solo tackles. Illinois (10/23): Recorded a career-high 13 tackles (11 solo) and a pass breakup. at Ohio State (10/30): Forced and recovered a fumble in the first quarter, the first force and recovery of his career...Recorded seven tackles (6 solo). at Maryland (11/6): Had a hand in two takeaways at Maryland, recovering a fumble in the third quarter and recording an 87-yard pick-six to help seal the victory in the fourth quarter...the INT return was the fifth-longest in school history...Paced the team with nine tackles (8 solo)...Tabbed Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and earned honorable mention honors from the Jim Thorpe Award following the Maryland game...Michigan (11/13): Made five tackles (3 solo). Rutgers (11/20): Recorded four tackles (3 solo). at Michigan State (11/27): Tallied a team-high 10 tackles (8 solo) and a pass breakup. vs. Arkansas (1/1): Picked off a career-high two passes...Recorded an interception in the end zone to end Arkansas’ first drive...Second interception came in Arkansas’ final drive of the first half...Added six tackles (5 solo)...Outback Bowl (1/1/22): Tallied two interceptions vs. Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, tying a Penn State bowl record.

 

2020 (jr): Appeared in nine games...One of 21 players to make their Nittany Lion debut...Made six tackles (5 solo) while adding a tackle for loss and pass breakup.Ohio State (10/31): Tallied first career tackle for loss...Made two total tackles. Maryland (11/7): Collected one solo tackle. Iowa (11/21): Made one solo stop. at Michigan (11/28): Recorded one solo stop. at Rutgers (12/5): Made one solo tackle. Illinois (12/19): Broke up a pass, the first of his career.

 

2018-19 • LACKAWANNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Guided the Falcons to the NJCAA Championship game with a 10-1 record...Helped the Falcons win the El Toro Bowl with a perfect 11-0 record and No. 6 national rankings in 2018...Selected as the Northeast Football Conference's (NEFC) Defensive Player of the Year in 2019...Named first-team All-NEFC as a sophomore...Chosen NJCAA All-America first team as a sophomore...Registered 35 tackles, three interceptions, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery in nine games as a sophomore...Tallied 40 tackles, five interceptions and three pass breakups as a freshman...Rated a three-star junior college prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals...Rated as the No. 9 overall junior college prospect, No. 2 safety and No. 1 recruit in New Jersey by 247Sports...Ranked as the No. 31 overall junior college recruit and No. 4 safety by ESPN...Ranked No. 12 overall junior college prospect by Rivals.

 

High school: Four-year letterman for head coach Greg Hyslop at Trenton Central High School...Was a two-time team captain...Earned first-team all-state honors as a senior...Named first-team all-conference three years...Participated in the Phil Simms North/South All-Star Game...Selected as the Defensive Player of the Game for the Phil Simms North/South All-Star Game...Played basketball...Led the state of New Jersey in steals (6.8 spg) as a senior.

 

PERSONAL

Full name is Ji'Ayir A'Veon Brown...Son of Joy Ingram...Has one brother, J'Ron, and two sisters, Ji'Asia and J'Selle...Majoring in telecommunications...Would like to become a sports analyst.

2022

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
1.0	0.0	0.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
7.0	5.0	68.0	0.0	5.0	4.5	51.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	28.5	114.0	4.0

2021

fumbles
REC	LOST	FUM
12.0	0.0	0.0

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
1.0	0.0	73.0	1.0	5.0	0.0	61.0

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
1.0	18.7	112.0	6.0

2020

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
1.0	0.0	6.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	5.0