In recent years, the Ole Miss Rebels football team has been a place where NFL scouts have looked to find great wide receiver talent. Laquon Treadwell started this movement in 2016 when he was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he paved the way for elite NFL pass catchers like A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf.
Since those two players were drafted in 2019, four more Rebels wideouts have landed on NFL rosters but none have enjoyed as much personal or team success as Brown. On Sunday, he will make his second championship appearance in Super Bowl LIX, but he took some time on Thursday to speak with the media about his time in Oxford.
I think every moment of my journey prepared me for this moment,” Brown told reporters during his media availability ahead of Super Bowl LIX. “As I got in college, I think those moments in college prepared me for moments like these.”
A native of Starkville, Mississippi, Brown left Mississippi State Bulldogs territory and spent three years at Ole Miss playing for the Rebels under head coaches Hugh Freeze and Matt Luke from 2016 to 2018. While the team’s best season was a 6-6 campaign in which they did not get into a bowl game, Brown seemingly does not regret his college decision.
“It’s where I’m from. Mississippi is where I’m from,” said Brown. “It’s a state where, you know, it’s overlooked. You really gotta grind for what you want. Probably don’t have that many resources, but it’s not too far from home.”