Barion Brown (UK Athletics Photo)
Kentucky juniors Barion Brown and Maxwell Hairston continue to pile up the preseason accolades as the Wildcats start preseason football practice this week.
Brown, a receiver, is a candidate for the Jet Award, which recognizes college football’s top return specialist after being named to the award’s preseason watch list Wednesday by the Jet Award Foundation. The award is named for Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers.
The 2024 Jet Award winner will be selected by a panel that includes media members from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), former winners of the Jet Award, and two of our award founders Johnny Rodgers and William Reed.
Brown had a nation-best three kickoff returns for scores in 2023. He set a single-season UK record previously held by Derek Abney with two scoring returns in 2002 and tied the SEC record (Willie Gault, Tennessee 1980; Brandon Boykin, Georgia 2009; Warren Norman, Vanderbilt 2009; Evan Berry, Tennessee 2015).
Brown already has a school-record four kickoff returns for touchdowns — and that ties the SEC career record shared with seven other players.
He averaged 36 years per kickoff return on 16 returns in 2023 led the nation and set a new school record. The previous record was 30.42 by Calvin Bird in 1959.
Brown also has caught a pass in 26 straight games over the last two years. That’s every game he has been at UK and he already has 1,167 career receiving yards.
Harrison was just as dynamic on defense in 2023 and the defensive back was named to the Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List. The list includes 42 of the nation’s top defensive backs.
The award goes to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The award was established in 1986.
Hairston had five interceptions in 2023, including four in SEC action, and ranked fifth in the nation in that category. His five interceptions tied for fifth-most interceptions in a single season in program history. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Vanderbilt when he was named National Defensive Player of the Week.
Along with his league-high five takeaways, Hairston ranked eighth in the SEC in passes defended in 2023 with 11.
