AJ Brown cites wearing black socks as the reason he did not commit to Georgia

College football recruitment can be a fickle process. One tiny thing can completely change outcomes, even for elite players. Now-Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown is just another example, not playing for an SEC powerhouse due to its jersey mashup.

Brown is apparently not a big fan of putting on black socks on gameday. So, when looking at what Georgia wears on Saturday, he saw black socks with the traditional red jerseys. Calling them “hideous,” the small little detail was enough to keep him away from Athens.

“I didn’t choose Georgia, I got recruited by Georgia,” Brown began via Pardon My Take. “I didn’t choose Georgia because I don’t like wearing black socks. That may be crazy but I hate wearing black socks… Putting on black socks with black cleats, it’s just so hideous. Because when I put on white I feel so fast, so smooth. Like, it’s just something about it.”

SEC powers were all over Brown, attempting to land his signature too. And for good reason. Brown played high school football at Starkville (MS), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 41 overall recruit in the 2016 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The likes of Alabama, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss were also in the running. As we all know, Brown wound up making his way to Oxford to play for Hugh Freeze. A move that certainly paid off, eventually finding himself in the NFL and becoming one of the league’s top receivers.

Ole Miss has one of the largest Rolodexes of uniforms in all of college football. Most importantly, Brown got to wear white socks on a weekly basis. Maybe easy to scoff at but Brown wound up catching 189 passes for 2,984 yards and 19 touchdowns during his time at Ole Miss.

A head-to-head matchup did take place when Brown was a true freshman. Georgia came to Vaught Hemingway Stadium and Ole Miss earned a blowout win. Brown went for 46 yards on four receptions. You can probably guess what color socks Brown was wearing on the day.

Georgia wound up landing a big-fish wide receiver recruit of its own after losing out on Brown. Mecole Hardman was a five-star prospect and wound up having a nice career with the Bulldogs. Riley Ridley was also a part of the recruiting class, joining Tyler Simmons.