Brown learning about teammates’ roles to bolster own performance

By Henry Greenstein     Apr 6, 2024

article image AP Photo/Colin E Braley
Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) is brought down by Kansas safety Marvin Grant (4), linebacker JB Brown (28) and defensive lineman D.J. Withers (52) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 in Lawrence.

Kansas linebackers coach Chris Simpson said that early last season, linebacker JB Brown was a “see ball, get ball” kind of player.

That’s theoretically a good quality for a linebacker to have, particularly one who since arriving from Bowling Green last spring has consistently dazzled his teammates with some of the hardest hitting of any Jayhawk.

But Simpson noted that such a straightforward mentality isn’t always the best for the KU defense.

“You have an opportunity to make some plays doing that, but sometimes you can compromise the defense when you’re doing that,” he explained. “Now he’s where he’s supposed to be and (can) continue to be able to make some of those plays.”

So Brown’s needed to hone his understanding of the defense at large — and yes, Simpson added, he can still be every bit as physical while being more cerebral, and in fact, “I think it shows up more because you can even be faster. There’s less indecision.”

Indeed, Brown, a weak-side linebacker, said one of the keys to offseason improvement has been learning more about what the players around him are assigned to do — and specifically the player most likely to be next to him, the middle linebacker, “so I can play off them, be able to play faster than I was playing last year.”

“Just knowing what the ‘Mike’ is doing, it’ll be able to help me play better at Will,” he added.

After tallying 57 tackles, two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles — one a critical momentum swing in the upset win over Oklahoma — Brown, like his teammate Cornell Wheeler, is seeking to help elevate the rest of the linebacker room.

“I feel like we all as a group (have) stepped up a lot since Rich (Miller) has left,” Brown said. “He was a great leader. Nell’s one of those guys that really took a big step to lead us as a defense. And me, myself, included too, knowing that I’m one of the older guys.”

One other way in which Brown flashed last season was as a pass rusher. In his first start against Illinois in the second week of last season, spelling injured Taiwan Berryhill Jr., the Jayhawks sent him off the edge, and he picked up one of his two sacks.

It wasn’t clear that early in the season where KU was going to get its pass rush, but defensive end Austin Booker eventually emerged as a massive threat in that realm. Now, with Booker gone, the Jayhawks are back dealing with uncertainty when it comes to getting to the quarterback. Brown said he’s eager to help with that “any way I can.”

“Whether he’s rushing off the edge or inside or whatever, we have to be better blitzers in general,” Simpson said.

In all, he said Brown has taken great strides compared to where he was at entering his first fall camp at KU just eight months ago.”

“I’m really fired up about JB and what he’s going to be able to do for us,” Simpson said.

article imageAP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas linebacker JB Brown (28) during an NCAA football game on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023, in Lawrence.

article imageAP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas linebacker JB Brown (28) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 in Lawrence.

article imageAP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) is stopped by Kansas linebacker JB Brown (28) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 in Lawrence.

article imageAP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht (3) throws a pass over Kansas linebacker JB Brown (28) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Ames, Iowa.

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Written By Henry Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off "California vibes," whatever that means.