On the Plains with Byrum Brown: 'Truly blessed'

AUBURN, Ala. –  Before and after the glitz and glamour of SEC Media Days, Byrum Brown embraced the grind of getting ready for his college football finale.  

One week after returning to Tampa to represent the Tigers among reporters who cover the Southeastern Conference, Brown entered the Woltosz Center Monday before 7 a.m., crossing Samford Avenue after parking in the McWhorter Lot. 

A quarterback with Brown’s resume and a bigger ego might have asked for a dedicated parking space closer to Auburn’s football facility. Not Byrum. While some QB1’s exude attitude, Brown is all about gratitude. 

“I'm truly blessed to even be a quarterback for Auburn University,” he said in Tampa, where he played four seasons at South Florida and graduated last December with a 3.77 GPA in health sciences. “I was blessed to be a quarterback for USF when I was QB4, so tremendous gratitude to USF as well. Just can't wait to play at Auburn.” 

Brown will not have to wait much longer, with Auburn’s 2026 season starting Sept. 5 vs. Baylor in Atlanta before the home opener against Southern Miss on Sept. 12 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Kickoff on The Plains.

“Can't wait to produce on the field this year and show everybody that Auburn football is back,” he said. 

When the Tigers took time off over the Fourth of July, Brown went to Southern California, not to sightsee but to train. 

It’s that work ethic that helped Brown lead all FBS quarterbacks last season with 42 total touchdowns while averaging 347.2 yards of offense per game. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,158 yards with 28 touchdowns while rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Those gaudy stats put Brown in elite company, joining 11 others in NCAA history with 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. After setting 15 program records at USF, Brown joined Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon on the Plains, hoping to duplicate those sizzling stats in the SEC.  

After Brown redshirted at South Florida in 2022, he took over as USF’s starter when Golesh and Gordon arrived the following season. In his USF career, Brown totaled 7,690 passing yards with 61 touchdowns while adding 2,265 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. 

“Coach Golesh has had a tremendous amount of confidence in me since I was 18,” Brown said of his decision to follow Golesh to Auburn. “Handed the reins over to me, and then I got hurt one year and he poured into me even more, had more confidence in me.

“When you go through the ups and go through the downs, having a coach that's there by your side, it means a lot. I definitely took that into consideration. Why not go play for the man who has demanded the very best of me since I got there and has helped me in ways I can't express?”

“Coach Gordon, he's been tremendous in my growth. We call him the Sheriff in Auburn. He's had confidence in me since I was 18 as well. I'm extremely happy to play for him.”

In his seven months at Auburn, Brown has become part of the campus community. From day one, he pronounced “Jordan” correctly. He has a billboard on Opelika Road for a local moving company. He’s a fan of the “phenomenal” lemonade slush at Toomer’s Drugs, and he plans to return to Toomer’s Corner often this fall to celebrate victories.

“I'm excited to roll the trees,” he said. “Looking forward to doing it after every game this year. That's the plan.”

Brown believes competing against Auburn’s defense in practice has prepared him for the speed and sophistication of the SEC. 

“Truly a blessing,” he said. “I think going against the best defense in the country helps you build confidence every single day.”

Further easing Brown’s transition to the SEC is Auburn’s signing of 12 of his former USF teammates, including 10 who play offense and six of his top targets from 2025.

“We're bringing a chip on our shoulder,” he said. “We just put our head down, go to work, be the best we can be every single day. I think that speaks for everybody who transferred. We want Auburn to be its best and want to leave it better than we found it. That's the plan, bring Auburn back to where it should be. That's been it since day one. I can't wait to be a leader of that.”

A leader. That’s Byrum Brown. 

“We don't control the outcome,” he said. “We control our process that leads to the outcome. Hopefully it's a favorable one. We can't wait to strap it up in fall camp, strap it up for the first week against Baylor and go play.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer