Kentucky cornerbacks coach Allen Brown, left, has been an active recruiter since arriving at UK. (X Photo)
Kentucky cornerbacks coach Allen Brown describes himself as a “player’s coach” which is something most coaches like to believe they are.
“That’s the reason why I got into it. I’m going to lead, I’m going to mentor, I’m going to teach, in my mind, at a really high level,” said Brown after UK’s practice Thursday.
However, he’s also passionate and a bit of a daredevil as he explained when he talked about his willingness to jump into a practice drill. One time he was trying to punch the ball out to create a fumble when he broke his finger this spring.
“They told me that I gotta tighten up, but I’m in the mix when they make a play, I feel like I made a play. When they get beat, I feel like I got beat.,” Brown said. “So I take pride in it, and I take it super serious.”
Brown, a defensive back at Eastern Washington from 2009-13, tried to let UK players know he was there for them as soon as he got on campus. He said he met with “every single dude” for 20 minutes.
“I want to know who they are as human beings. Some of the adversity that they went through. Mom, dad, high school, middle school, growing up, all of that stuff, right?” the Kentucky assistant coach said.
Brown knows players have to trust him to believe him and that’s more important than showing and talking about players he has helped send to the NFL.
“It all starts with relationships,” Brown said.
Brown has an inexperienced group but that does not bother him.
“They’re still green to the game. A lot of times, that comes with experience. I’ve got to start from the ground up. That’s not a bad thing by any means,” Brown said. “The best part about it is they are willing.
“I’ve seen so much progression throughout the days. When I turn on a tape of a practice from week one or week two, then us making it right down the road. That’s a big deal when they see that. It’s huge.”
