For freshman defensive end Jonathan Brown, being on his own for the

first time was a little intimidating. Brown had to leave behind all the

glory of his high school days to enter the difficult world of life as a

college student-athlete.

“I was kind of scared of the college life and being on my own,” the

freshman admitted.

“It was hard knowing I wouldn’t get to see my parents everyday,” he

said.

It wasn’t just the transition of doing his own laundry or being away

from his family that was tough for Brown but also learning the way out on

the gridiron.

“At first, it was really frustrating because I would mess up. At times,

it just seemed that everything wasn’t going my way,” Brown explained.

But through hard work, a positive attitude and the help of the veteran

defensive linemen, things began to come together for Brown.

“The whole defensive line has helped me,” Brown said.

“They’ve helped me learn the plays and what to do in certain plays. I’m

so happy they’ve taken me under their wings and helped me to become a good

player,” he said.

Brown has definitely shown signs of being a very good player. In the

first game of the year at UCLA, he registered a sack after being in the

game for only a few plays. His sack was also the first one made by any of

the D-line.

“You’re always going to be skeptical of being good in college. But after

I made the first sack, it made me realize I could be an impact player and

not just a role player,” Brown said. “It just helped me out for the rest of

the season, getting that first sack.”

Brown’s talent hasn’t been overlooked by the UT coaching staff, and even

though he’s a true freshman, he’s seen action in every game.

So far, the freshman has racked up seven tackles, five of which were

unassisted and one sack for a loss of seven yards.

Brown is a confident person who has very high expectations for himself,

on and off the field.

“My number one goal is to make freshman all-SEC, and academically, this

semester, I’d like to get a 3.0, and make all As and Bs-no Cs.”

The freshman, who is thinking of majoring in physical therapy, is taking

a substantial load with 17 hours. Getting the job done in the classroom is

something that was instilled in Brown by his parents.

“My parents have always stressed academics before football,” he said. “I

was talking to Coach Fulmer, and I told him that my mother had called me,

and the first thing she asked me was how was I doing, and the second thing

was ‘How are your grades?'” Brown said.

Because of his parents’ strict belief in hitting the books, Brown has a

mature outlook on football versus academics.

“Football is not going to last always. People are getting hurt all the

time, and even if I do make it to the pros, I’ll have to retire sooner or

later, and I’ll need something to fall back on,” Brown explained.