‘The Kid is Special’
Oct 23, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Avery Johnson threw the ball and it hung in the air. TCU free safety Chace Biddle, his right arm extended, had his body against Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown as they raced down the sideline. The timing, the placement, Brown's movements, everything had to be perfect for a completion — and that didn't account for the defender. On this play, everything was perfect. Brown followed the rainbow pass over his inside shoulder. The ball dropped into his hands. Left foot down. Right foot down. Boom. Forty-three yard reception.
Brown rose from the turf and handed the official the football.
Another play. Yes, another one, and, man, Brown would not be stopped. Will Howard tapped the football. He unfurled a dart. Brown leapt off his right foot across the middle of the end zone. He hung in the air. He had two steps on cornerback Avery Helm. Brown landed with the football. Touchdown. An 11-yard scoring strike. That gave K-State a 34-3 lead over TCU in a game in which the Wildcats ran away with a 41-3 victory. Brown raced down the edge of the end zone. Jadon Jackson picked him up. They embraced. Brown came down to earth. He bobbed his head as if listening to his favorite song.
Which brings us to Saturday night. And there's Brown wearing his gray Wildcats t-shirt, explaining it all to reporters — the catches, the chemistry, and the hard work ("Play with speed, be physical and finish," he says). There he is, retracing his mindset ("Go out there, perform, and have fun," he says) and there he is lauding Howard and Johnson ("I have a really good relationship with both of them," he says).
At the root of it all is an insatiable desire to excel, to leave nothing to question, because, after all, he is a true freshman, and it is important to him that he can be trusted with it all on the line.
What did Brown do? Here's what he did: He caught his first-career touchdown. He had four catches for 88 yards, the most receiving yards by a true freshman since Deuce Vaughn went for 129 yards at Oklahoma in 2020.
Howard says: "Credit to him for learning as fast as he did and for having the confidence to do what he did because that doesn't happen all the time.
"The kid is special. He's going to be special for a while."
Johnson says: "That's my brother."
Brown is long on talent and short on words. He has things to do. More film to watch. On this particular night, he needs this time with his family, which drove 17 hours to watch him perform at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. They didn't know that they'd witness his best performance yet. They will return. And Brown will put on a show again. Because that's what Brown is about. He has that confidence.
Johnson says: "The dude can really take the top off the defense. He's confident in himself. When you go out there and play free and with confidence it's hard to be stopped."
There was a time when none of this seemed possible. Mainly because Brown's first love was basketball. A native of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Brown grew up in an athletic household. His father, Don, was selected in the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Brown's sister, Brittany, played basketball at Florida State and currently plays professionally overseas. Gabby, Brown's other sister, played basketball at East Tennessee State and West Florida.
Yes sir, even though Brown grew up playing both football and basketball, he was all about hoops. So much so that he decided not to play football his freshman year at Choctawhatchee High School. Then dad stepped in prior to Brown's sophomore year.
"Dad convinced me to go back to football," Brown says.
Brown had 30 catches for 558 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. He earned first team all-state honors as a senior from FloridaHSFootball.com after hauling in 48 catches for 925 yards and 12 touchdowns while also recording 10 interceptions on defense. He also qualified for districts in both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Ask him for his favorite high school highlight. He smiles.
"Junior year I caught a post for the game-winning touchdown with 7 seconds left," he says.
He adds: "I was just getting by people, and I was like, 'Man, I can be pretty good at this.'"
Now he's here. And he's one of the stars of the night against TCU. The pressure has dispersed inside the Vanier Family Football Complex and Brown can breathe. Except there's one TV camera. And another. And a swarm of reporters. They want to know how it feels.
"I feel like I haven't really done anything yet," he says.
This time was coming. He calls Johnson his best friend. He ran route after route for Johnson after practice this summer. They bonded. The over-the-shoulder catch against TCU? He wanted to make the catch to make Johnson look good. Yes, in the coming years, there will be more catches and more touchdowns between Johnson and Brown. For now, Brown is focused on the immediate future, as K-State, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference, prepares to face Houston, 3-4 and 1-3, in Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff on Homecoming at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back to work on Monday," he says. "I'm so excited for the rest of the season. Can't wait. The sky's the limit."
The sweet music is just getting started.
"Let's just go out there," he says, "and win some games."
Avery Johnson threw the ball and it hung in the air. TCU free safety Chace Biddle, his right arm extended, had his body against Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown as they raced down the sideline. The timing, the placement, Brown's movements, everything had to be perfect for a completion — and that didn't account for the defender. On this play, everything was perfect. Brown followed the rainbow pass over his inside shoulder. The ball dropped into his hands. Left foot down. Right foot down. Boom. Forty-three yard reception.
Brown rose from the turf and handed the official the football.
Another play. Yes, another one, and, man, Brown would not be stopped. Will Howard tapped the football. He unfurled a dart. Brown leapt off his right foot across the middle of the end zone. He hung in the air. He had two steps on cornerback Avery Helm. Brown landed with the football. Touchdown. An 11-yard scoring strike. That gave K-State a 34-3 lead over TCU in a game in which the Wildcats ran away with a 41-3 victory. Brown raced down the edge of the end zone. Jadon Jackson picked him up. They embraced. Brown came down to earth. He bobbed his head as if listening to his favorite song.
There will be beautiful music to come from 5-foot-11, 174-pound Brown. Bank on it. Brown has the tools to be one of the premier wide receivers in the Big 12 Conference in the coming years. For now, he is happy. He is happy to get his chance. He is a true freshman. He is from Choctawhatchee High School in Florida. K-State was his only Power 5 offer. He visited Manhattan on October 1. He committed five days later.HYPED pic.twitter.com/zkpDNNgBub
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) October 22, 2023
Which brings us to Saturday night. And there's Brown wearing his gray Wildcats t-shirt, explaining it all to reporters — the catches, the chemistry, and the hard work ("Play with speed, be physical and finish," he says). There he is, retracing his mindset ("Go out there, perform, and have fun," he says) and there he is lauding Howard and Johnson ("I have a really good relationship with both of them," he says).
At the root of it all is an insatiable desire to excel, to leave nothing to question, because, after all, he is a true freshman, and it is important to him that he can be trusted with it all on the line.
What did Brown do? Here's what he did: He caught his first-career touchdown. He had four catches for 88 yards, the most receiving yards by a true freshman since Deuce Vaughn went for 129 yards at Oklahoma in 2020.
Howard says: "Credit to him for learning as fast as he did and for having the confidence to do what he did because that doesn't happen all the time.
"The kid is special. He's going to be special for a while."
Johnson says: "That's my brother."
Brown is long on talent and short on words. He has things to do. More film to watch. On this particular night, he needs this time with his family, which drove 17 hours to watch him perform at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. They didn't know that they'd witness his best performance yet. They will return. And Brown will put on a show again. Because that's what Brown is about. He has that confidence.
Johnson says: "The dude can really take the top off the defense. He's confident in himself. When you go out there and play free and with confidence it's hard to be stopped."
There was a time when none of this seemed possible. Mainly because Brown's first love was basketball. A native of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Brown grew up in an athletic household. His father, Don, was selected in the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Brown's sister, Brittany, played basketball at Florida State and currently plays professionally overseas. Gabby, Brown's other sister, played basketball at East Tennessee State and West Florida.
Yes sir, even though Brown grew up playing both football and basketball, he was all about hoops. So much so that he decided not to play football his freshman year at Choctawhatchee High School. Then dad stepped in prior to Brown's sophomore year.
"Dad convinced me to go back to football," Brown says.
Brown had 30 catches for 558 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. He earned first team all-state honors as a senior from FloridaHSFootball.com after hauling in 48 catches for 925 yards and 12 touchdowns while also recording 10 interceptions on defense. He also qualified for districts in both the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Ask him for his favorite high school highlight. He smiles.
"Junior year I caught a post for the game-winning touchdown with 7 seconds left," he says.
He adds: "I was just getting by people, and I was like, 'Man, I can be pretty good at this.'"
Now he's here. And he's one of the stars of the night against TCU. The pressure has dispersed inside the Vanier Family Football Complex and Brown can breathe. Except there's one TV camera. And another. And a swarm of reporters. They want to know how it feels.
"I feel like I haven't really done anything yet," he says.
This time was coming. He calls Johnson his best friend. He ran route after route for Johnson after practice this summer. They bonded. The over-the-shoulder catch against TCU? He wanted to make the catch to make Johnson look good. Yes, in the coming years, there will be more catches and more touchdowns between Johnson and Brown. For now, Brown is focused on the immediate future, as K-State, 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference, prepares to face Houston, 3-4 and 1-3, in Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff on Homecoming at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back to work on Monday," he says. "I'm so excited for the rest of the season. Can't wait. The sky's the limit."
The sweet music is just getting started.
"Let's just go out there," he says, "and win some games."
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