Byrum Brown Ranks Behind Former Auburn QB In Latest ESPN Rankings

Byrum Brown has not gotten off to exactly the start that many expected when he first transferred to the Auburn Tigers from USF, but he has still led the team to a 3-1 record through the first four games of the season. 

After the Tigers’ win against Vanderbilt, ESPN released its latest Power Four quarterback rankings, and Brown ranks at No. 35, one spot behind Ashton Daniels, who, ironically, started the Vanderbilt game for the Tigers last year.

“Brown followed head coach Alex Golesh from South Florida to Auburn, and you can see by my spring ranking that I had high hopes,” ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote. “And since his glitchy debut against a Baylor defense that has proved to be far better than expected, his numbers have been stable if unspectacular: 78.5 Total QBR, 34.3 PPG, 6.1 yards per dropback, 7.8 yards per carry (not including sacks). He takes a lot of hits, though.”

Connelly’s comment of ‘stable if unspectacular’ may be the perfect encapsulation of Brown’s season so far, as the Tigers’ quarterback has yet to pass for over 300 yards or rush for over 100 yards in a game this season, a far cry from the dominance he imposed on the AAC last year.

There have been some questions about Brown’s decision-making, as he has thrown five interceptions to six touchdowns and has been sacked 14 times over the course of the season. Additionally, Brown does not appear to be rushing nearly as well as he did last season, as he rushed for over 100 yards in six of the Bulls’ 12 games last season. 

He’s also behind his pace from last season on rushing touchdowns, as he totaled 14 rushing touchdowns over 12 games last season, whereas this season, he has rushed for just three in four games.

Of course, Brown is matched up against much better defenses than he was last year at USF, but those high-quality defenses have exposed some issues that will need to be rectified if Brown wants to be competitive against top-level SEC programs or even make a push for the NFL after this season.

He’ll have plenty of time and several big stages to improve on, as the Tigers are set to have one of the most difficult schedules in the country over the month of October. If Brown can come to life against top SEC programs, his slow start to the season may soon be forgotten.

If he continues at this rate, though, things could get dangerous in a hurry for the Tigers’ offense.

Enjoy our content? Make AuburnOnSI a preferred source to see more stories from us on Google by clicking here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow