Cats hope Anthony Brown can make early impact at receiver
Freshman wideout Anthony Brown looked a pass into his hands during Saturday's "Fan Day" practice. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
If things progress the way Kentucky hopes, the Wildcats may have two dynamic playmakers at wide receiver wearing BROWN on the back of their jerseys.
Last season, Barion Brown earned freshman All-America honors after catching 50 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns to go along with his electric returns on special teams. He is expected to team with fellow sophomore Dane Key to give UK one of the best tandems in the SEC this season.
Now, as the Cats enter their second week of fall camp, one of the biggest priorities on the offensive side of the ball is learning who may be ready to provide quality depth at the position.
"I think if there's any one position where we're down a little bit in numbers right now, it's wideout," UK head coach Mark Stoops said during Media Day. "You all know the skill that we have there, some of the talent we haven't had in a while. We have some really good players there. But, with that, it opens up the opportunity for others to leave (in the transfer portal). It kind of hurts your depth a little bit, so we got to watch that position a little."
Making his bid to join the rotation early this season is another Brown, Anthony, who was one of the jewels in Kentucky's 2023 recruiting class. The 5-foot-10, 168-pound product of Springfield, Ohio, was a mid-year enrollee after catching 83 passes for 1,626 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior and being named a four-star prospect by Rivals.
With Barion Brown sitting out due to a minor "soft tissue" injury, Anthony Brown made several splash plays during Saturday's "Fan Day" open practice at the Joe Craft Football Training Center.
"We need him to step up and play, and he's done that," Stoops said. "... He's a shifty guy, a good player."
Added UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen, back for his second stint with the Cats after a season with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams: "He's handled this go-around extremely well, as far as being someone we can count on to play, someone we can push the ball down the field to."
In order to put himself in that position, Brown had to learn from some miscues in the spring.
"It was huge," Coen said. "When you come in (early) as a freshman, you're really supposed to be going to prom... In the spring, he'll tell you he had some drop issues. When you go from catching the Springfield High School to catching the ball from Devin Leary in the span of a couple of months, that's different now. The ball gets on you faster, and it's a little bit of a different deal."
Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow said Brown reminded him of a "Wan'Dale Robinson clone" the first time he saw him play at Springfield. And not only did the prospect flash glimpses of Robinson's talent that would re-write the UK receiving record book en route to the NFL, but he also shared his work ethic.
During the spring and summer, when he would return home to Ohio, Brown would show up at his old high school to catch passes at 6:30 in the morning.
"The kid is so driven," Marrow said. "Like Wan'Dale, he's up here early; he's the last one to leave. He comes to the coaches' meeting to watch film with the coaches."
Added UK receivers coach Scott Woodward: "A.B.'s one of the hardest working kids on this team... He's really taken a jump from the spring to the summer to now."
Woodward noted that Brown's football IQ and versatility would also allow him to get on the field at any of UK's three receiver positions, which could give him a leg up as he battles for snaps with players like veteran Tayvion Robinson, sophomore Dekel Crowdus, redshirt freshman Brandon White, and fellow freshmen Shamar Porter and Ardell Banks.
Marrow added there's no shortage of talent in Brown's family. One of his four siblings, Michael Brown-Stephens is a receiver for Central Florida after spending four years at Minnesota. And an uncle, Grammy-winning recording artist John Legend, is internationally known for his talent.
"What I love about this kid, he wants his own shine," Marrow said. "... He's gotta keep working, but he's really showing up."
