Playmaking safety Ji'Ayir Brown enjoying Penn State swan song

Ji’Ayir Brown acknowledged that this season has fallen short of his lofty expectations. Back in the preseason, the Penn State safety set personal goals that might have been “a bit crazy.” As a team, his expectation was to reach the College Football Playoffs. That dream is dead.

And yet, that hasn’t put a damper on his final games in a blue and white uniform. The senior captain is choosing to approach the end of his Penn State career with perspective.

“I’m just trying to slow these last two weeks down,” Brown said on a Tuesday conference call. “It’s been a hell of a ride here at Penn State, and you never want to see it come to an end. But nothing lasts forever. And so I’m just trying to slow time down as much as possible.

“It’s a bit of a bittersweet moment for me. But time moves on. People move on. And my time is coming to an end. So I’m just going to try to enjoy these last two weeks, these last couple games and appreciate every little detail about Beaver Stadium, every little detail about the team, about the facility, about the culture. Just keep being appreciative of that stuff … and reminding myself how blessed I am to be here.”

Brown’s journey to this point — to develop into an All-Big Ten honoree — has been unconventional.

Brown flew under the radar at Trenton (N.J.) Central High School. SAT scores played a role in his lack of recruitment. Still, his talent was obvious and attracted attention from JUCO powerhouse Lackawanna College in Scranton. Brown jumped at the chance and grew into a disruptive defensive back alongside Jaquan Brisker.

Brown watched Brisker go to Penn State and have success, and he wanted the same for himself. Brown enrolled ahead of the covid-shortened 2020 campaign and played in nine games. In 2021, he broke out with 73 tackles, six interceptions, five pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

Brown drew looks from the next level but didn’t follow Brisker into the 2022 NFL draft, opting to come back for one more year with the Nittany Lions. And he’s made it count.

Brown’s 56 tackles leads the team by a wide margin. (Freshman linebacker Abdul Carter ranks second with 44 stops.)

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound playmaker — playing safety, blitzing off the edge and lining up as a hybrid linebacker in Penn State’s “prowler” package — has also tallied 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and three sacks. All the while, Brown has proven to be the heartbeat of one of the top defenses in college football.

“I don’t think he’s getting enough attention,” coach James Franklin said. “I don’t think enough people are talking about him when it comes to college football awards, when it comes to the NFL. His name should be all over the place. He’s playing his tail off. He makes his teammates better. … He’s been phenomenal.”

“You get to coach someone like him once every five years and you’re thankful you have the opportunity,” defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said in October. “He checks every box you’re looking for in a player. He can handle it. He wants to handle it. He wants nothing more than to play his best for his teammates. That’s why he does it, and those guys are rare.

“This guy is old-school. He’s a warrior. And what a great example for the young guys on our defense to follow every day and say, ‘When I grow up, I want to be like him.’”

Brown doesn’t take that responsibility lightly, either.

“I’ve grown as a leader from 2021 to 2022 tremendously,” Brown said. “I feel like the guys really want to get behind me and really want to help me finish my last season out at Penn State the best way I can.”

It’s fitting, really, how Brown gets to wrap up his career. This weekend, he’ll return to his home state for Penn State’s game at Rutgers. Trenton is only 45 minutes away, so his phone has been blowing up all week with friends and family members letting him know they’ll be there to celebrate his achievements on Saturday. Then next week, Brown will have his Senior Day at Beaver Stadium.

On Tuesday, Brown wasn’t asked whether or not he’ll play in Penn State’s bowl game. He didn’t offer any insight on the subject, either. At this point, he’s focused on finishing out this regular season strong and cherishing every last second of it.

“It’s been a hell of a year for the guys,” Brown said. “I’m definitely appreciative of everything that’s been going on this year and how we executed and how we played together and grew as a family.”

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of this program. … Being from where I come from where there’s not too many opportunities like this given out, I just tried to make the best of every one and try to appreciate it. Throughout my whole career, I knew that my time was short. I’m trying to soak in as much as I can.”