Brown sets Ole Miss receiving record
OXFORD — In an otherwise average season for Ole Miss football, junior wide receiver A.J. Brown has been anything but.
With his 127 receiving yards on Saturday vs. Texas A&M, Brown became Ole Miss' all-time leading receiver by yardage with 2,711, passing a mark previously set by Shay Hodge in 2009. Brown now ranks among the top 20 in SEC career receiving yards and is 26 catches and six touchdowns away from tying the Ole Miss records in those respective areas as well.
On Monday, Brown was named as one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation's top wide receiver. Along with Alabama's Jerry Jeudy, Brown is one of two SEC players on the short list for the award and can become the first player in Ole Miss history to win it.
"For him to be the all-time leading receiver, I think that's a pretty special accomplishment," Ole Miss coach Matt Luke said. "He's been very unselfish, playing inside and outside. He's very versatile and I think that will help him moving forward. I'm just really proud of what he's been able to accomplish and his attitude has been outstanding."
Brown ranks fifth in college football in receiving yards this season with 1,047, and seventh in receptions with 72. Along with Texas Tech's Antoine Wesley, Brown is one of two Power 5 players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and 70 receptions this season.
If Brown continues at his season average through Ole Miss' final two games of 2018, he would vault as high as No. 9 all-time in SEC receiving yards and fourth among SEC receivers who only played three years of college football.
The chances of Brown returning for a fourth season aren't particularly high. ESPN's Todd McShay ranks Brown as the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 2 wide receiver prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft, and Walter Football ranks Brown as the best draft-eligible wide receiver option.
If Brown calls it a career early, he'll leave Oxford as one of the most prolific pass catchers in school and conference history. He has a chance to translate those skills into the pros.
"He's just a very rare breed of a total package receiver," Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo said about Brown. "I think we could line him up at tight end or in the backfield and it wouldn't matter. He just has great onthe-field ability and he's a mismatch guy.
"To do it in three years to me is impressive. To do it in three years in the SEC is really impressive. He's been doing it against the best defenses in college football. My hat's off to A.J."