Jordan Brown had a choice entering his redshirt freshman season at South Dakota State: cornerback or wide receiver.
The Scottsdale, Arizona, native came to SDSU as a defensive back, but he split time during his 2014 redshirt year and played some offense to give the defense a better look. And for good reason. At Paradise Valley High School, Brown broke every receiving record with 159 receptions for 2,277 yards and 26 touchdowns over three seasons.
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In the spring entering the 2015 season, Brown was called into the coaches offices and asked what position he wanted to play. The answer was cornerback.
In recent years with SDSU’s passing attack, one would assume wide receiver was the more attractive position. But back then, the Jackrabbits were a run-heavy team.
“I just saw it as a better opportunity to play defense here,” Brown told HERO Sports. “When I first got here, we didn't throw the ball as much. We had Zach Zenner, so we ran the ball all the time. I knew at that point we weren't going to throw the ball a bunch, so I decided to go to corner because of the better opportunity and the opportunity to go to the next level as well. There are more opportunities to play DB and you can move around the secondary.”
The decision has paid off in a big way for Brown and SDSU, who is currently 10-2 and plays at rival North Dakota State on Friday in the FCS semifinals.
Brown played in all 11 games in 2015. He entered the starting lineup in 2016 and started all 13 games. Brown became known as one of the top cornerbacks in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the FCS last year as an All-Conference First Team selection. He entered 2018 on HERO Sports' Preseason All-American Third Team.
Brown earned First Team All-MVFC honors again this year and already has one All-American honor from the Associated Press.
When Brown thought way back in his early SDSU days that playing DB would give him a better opportunity at the next level, he was exactly right. At 6-foot-1, Brown is getting noticed by NFL scouts and accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game.
What led to all this was Brown getting more and more comfortable at cornerback as the years progressed. He didn't play a lot of defense in high school, so there was a transition period.
“Definitely technique-wise, a lot of things have changed for me,” Brown said. “Things like playing the ball in the air. And then it was a lot of film study as well. Knowing what the offense is going to do before they do it is the biggest thing for me. It makes the game a lot easier. Going into my senior year, the game has slowed down tremendously. At this point right now, the game is super slow and I’m just out there playing fast and having fun with my teammates.”
In his 50 career games played, Brown totals 147 tackles, six tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, 34 passes defended and eight interceptions.
While Brown decided he wanted to make plays on defense, he’s got someone in the family to help out SDSU’s offense. Brown’s younger brother, Jacob, is a junior wide receiver for the Jackrabbits and has six career touchdowns.
“During fall camp and spring ball we line up across from each other a lot and he’s probably the toughest guy for me to guard on the team,” Brown said. “He’s just very good off the line and it’s hard for me sometimes to guard him. It’s always a battle. And it’s kind of hard not to cheer for him when he’s doing good against our defense in practice.”
So who’s won more overall 1-on-1 battles during their time together in Brookings?
“Of course I have,” Brown, as any older brother would, said with a laugh.
Things get a little more serious this week as the focus turns to the Bison. SDSU has made tremendous strides during Brown’s time on campus. The 2016 season saw a trip to the quarterfinals and last year was one step further to the semifinals.
The Jacks, seeded No. 5, return to No. 1 NDSU and the Fargodome, where they narrowly lost 21-17 back in September. The winner advances to the national championship game, a place that’s been on the minds of SDSU players and coaches.
“It’s definitely a big game, everyone knows that,” Brown said. “(Head coach John Stiegelmeier) always says let’s go somewhere we haven't been before. This is the next step. Last year in the semifinals didn't turn out how we wanted to. And this year it just happens to be NDSU vs. SDSU. That just heightens the intensity of the game. They have a great team up there and it’s going to be a big opportunity for us.”
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