Countdown to Kickoff: 14 Days (Andre Brown Jr.)

Written by: Alex Compton (@alexncompton)

#14

There are now 14 days remaining until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the 2016 season in Miami against the Florida International Golden Panthers. Join us each day for each part of our 100-day countdown to the opener! Next up, Andre Brown Jr.!

Andre Brown Jr.

-Height: 6’0”
-Weight: 195 pounds
-Hometown: Decatur, Georgia
-Position: Defensive Back

Indiana’s secondary had a rough go of things last season, but many people are predicting the unit to have a major bounce back this season. Injuries and youth were the main causes of the problems for the back end of the defense, but everyone is healthy at this point, and the unit will actually be one of the most experienced in the entire country. Besides Mario Swann and Will Dawkins, everyone who played a good amount will be back, so seeing if the older guys in the secondary can produce will be a huge storyline to watch early in the season. Using 5 defensive backs instead of 4 with Tom Allen’s new-looked defense should also help in the pass coverage. Only time will tell, but the secondary should be much improved in 2016. One guy who will play a ton of snaps? Andre Brown Jr. 

Playing as a true freshman is very tough to do at any school, not to mention here at Indiana where Kevin Wilson generally tries to avoid it. Andre Brown Jr. actually started his first collegiate game against Southern Illinois. In that nightmare of a game, Brown Jr. looked pretty solid, collecting a fumble recovery and two tackles. He also broke up the potential game winning two-point conversion try with 18 seconds left to give IU the 48-47 victory over the Salukis. Before he suffered a shoulder injury that cost him the rest of the season, Brown Jr. appeared in 9 total games, with 8 starts. He ended his 9 game campaign with 35 tackles, 4 pass breakups, and that fumble recovery against SIU. He proved to be one of Indiana’s most reliable tacklers on the outside, and also used his physicality to disrupt receivers on the line much more than his fellow DB’s.

At this point in time, all indications are that he is healthy. If he remains healthy all the way up until September 1st, I would absolutely expect Brown Jr. to be in the starting lineup opposite of Rashard Fant again this season. #14 had a pretty solid year by all accounts, but when you consider that he graduated high school 4 months before his first game, that makes it all the more impressive. Expect Brown Jr. to be one the, if not the leading tacklers in the secondary for Indiana. 

The secondary has to make strides this season. The talent, and now the experience, is there. It comes down to production at this point. There appears to be an attitude change, and the guys seemed fired up about competing on every down. If this translates to picks and punts, I’m all for it. One thing is certain however, and that is the fact that Andre Brown Jr. will be called upon to make plays in 2016.

Share any memories or expectations you have of Andre Brown Jr. as a player in the comments section (or on the message boards) and be sure to come back to Hoosier Huddle each day during our countdown!