Consistency helps Barion Brown 'make the jump' in year three

The highs have been high with Barion Brown in Lexington, emerging as one of the most electric and explosive playmakers in the SEC through two seasons at Kentucky. He’s racked up 1,167 career receiving yards and 2,407 all-purpose yards with 13 total touchdowns across catches (8), rushes (1) and kick returns (4), a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC returner. For all of those highs, though, he had four games of two catches or fewer and only cleared the 50-yard mark as a receiver four times as a sophomore.

As exciting as he’s been, consistency has been a regular criticism of the 6-1 junior out of Nashville. He just leaves you wanting more, and his coaches feel the same way. Because they know he’s capable of greatness beyond spurts.

And he’s been giving just that to open spring ball in his third and what could be final season as a Wildcat.

“I’ve seen much more consistency with him. I love it,” Mark Stoops said Saturday. “He’s been really good, taking the medicine, so to speak. Really working hard to take the coaching, the little details.”

That’s been the difference, the Kentucky head coach said. For a kid with so much raw talent, it’s easy to cut corners because you know your natural gifts will allow you to produce. That’s what’s gotten him this far, why he was a top-100 recruit out of high school. But he only becomes a college football and NFL star by fine-tuning the details.

Prioritizing those little things has been key early this spring — and the pay-off has been there.

“Sometimes when you’re young and super talented, you know you can do special things with the ball in your hands,” Stoops added. “But it’s all the little details that are going to make you that much better of a player. He’s been really fun to work with, he’s had great energy. Always very explosive, makes some good plays.”

There’s a give to that, though, as a coach who prides himself on defense. As exciting as he may be to watch, it’s equally frustrating for the people trying to slow him down, Stoops included.

“It’s really nice because — well, it’s not nice for me as a defensive coach. But we’re getting the ball down the field more,” he said. “It’s aggravating on the defensive side, but it’s fun on the offensive side.”

His new quarterback certainly doesn’t hate it, Brock Vandagriff enjoying his top two weapons at receiver in Brown and Dane Key to open his time at Kentucky.

“That’s not always a bad thing,” he said of those two leading that unit. “Guys are definitely getting open, for sure.”

“They have been getting better every day, I love going against them because it’s helped me in my game,” defensive back Maxwell Hairston added. “They really are taking that next step. It’s showed early in the spring and I know they’re only going to get better from here on out.”

It’s no secret that a lot is riding on both Brown and Key to explode in year three for the Wildcats. If it means making life tougher on the Kentucky secondary in practice in the meantime, so be it.

“It starts with those two guys. You have those two going into their third season, this is where they need to make the jump and we’re seeing that,” Stoops said. “I’m seeing more consistency. It’s with the details, the leadership, the difficult catches. They’ve had their moments, but it’s the consistency we’re looking for. I’m seeing some good results right now.”

No more spurts for Brown as a junior. It’s time to make the jump to superstardom.