QB1: Byrum Brown leads Auburn into SEC opener

AUBURN, Ala. – In his Jordan-Hare Stadium debut, Byrum Brown displayed his triple-threat capability: passing, rushing and even receiving in Auburn’s 43-8 win over Southern Miss in Kickoff on The Plains.

Tallying 319 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, Brown completed 18 of 29 passes for 226 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses that showed a nice touch to open receivers Jonathan Echols and DeShawn Spencer. 

Auburn’s second leading rusher in the game, Brown gained 88 yards on 13 carries, averaging 6.8 yards per rush. 

On a reverse pass from Christian Neptune, Brown made a running catch while spinning and reaching for the ball for an acrobatic 5-yard touchdown.

All in a night’s work for the senior quarterback. Nothing Auburn head coach Alex Golesh hasn’t seen before in their four seasons together.  

“Same guy every day,” Golesh said of Brown. “Elite process, confidence, urgency, leader. He’s going to continue to get better as he continues to play with the guys around him.”

Brown, Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon are working together for the fourth consecutive season, providing uncommon stability and a superior comfort level.

“Extremely comfortable,” Brown said of his grasp of Auburn’s offense before the Tigers’ season-opening win over Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff Game. “Knowing the minute details of every single play, knowing where to go with the ball against certain looks, finding my checkdown regularly so we can stay on schedule and get first downs. I feel truly comfortable in this offense and everyone else is feeling comfortable as well.”

That comfortability could come in handy in SEC play, beginning Saturday vs. Florida at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Last season in the Swamp, Brown, Golesh and Gordon earned a victory over the Gators with South Florida. 

In July, Brown returned to Tampa to represent Auburn at SEC Media Days. 

“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.” 

With 8,175 career passing yards and 2,380 career rushing yards, Brown is the only active FBS quarterback with more than 8,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards.

“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 Golesh and 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. 

“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 nine 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.

“Looking forward to doing it after every game this year,” he said. “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, 10 who play offense including the Tigers’ trio of starting receivers Chas Nimrod, Keshaun Singlton and Jeremiah Koger. 

“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. 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.”

So far, so good for QB1. 

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