The receiving core was one of the position groups that were to be watched closely with the new offense taking over. One name that floated around in practice was Ahmarean Brown. There was talk of his speed throughout Fall Camp but no one pegged him as being the leading receiver for the team in his freshman year or doing this:
Ahmarean Brown has tied @calvinjohnsonjr's @GeorgiaTechFB freshman record with his 7th TD catch of the season. pic.twitter.com/nrSzSij9H7
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) November 22, 2019
When your name and accomplishments are being associated with records set by Calvin Johnson at Georgia Tech then you are certainly on the right path. Ahmarean’s stats for his rookie campaign were 21 receptions, 396 yards, and 7 touchdowns with 18.9 yards per catch. That put him first in every category at Tech.
Georgia Tech struggled to move the ball through most of their games which reflects in Brown leading with only 396 yards receiving. Having lost Jalen Camp early also left Brown as the only deep threat. It should be expected that quarterback and offense line play should improve to help Brown become an even bigger threat this season.
Ahmarean didn’t just show off against lesser opponents on the schedule. The first reception of his career was a touchdown against Clemson late in the second half.
Brown lines up in the slot and uses his speed to cut outside on Clemson safety K’Von Wallace (4th round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles). Wallace stumbles trying to regain position on Brown but a good overhead pass by James Graham lets Brown’s speed do the rest.
His speed was complimented well by his ability to run routes which is something receivers still work on early in their collegiate careers.
North Carolina is in man coverage and Brown pulls the safety’s momentum to the sideline before quickly cutting upfield giving him a better position. The free safety is playing a deep zone but is caught watching the crossing receivers which leaves him unable to help on the outside.
No matter how well a route is run there will be times the ball isn’t thrown quite where it needs to be.
Even though Brown gets great separation from the defenders the ball is a bit underthrown and on his back shoulder. He does a tremendous job to look the ball in while repositioning himself to make the reception. Without Brown’s awareness, Tech could have seen one less win this year against Miami.
It’s not an understatement to say Ahmarean Brown was an impact player even his first year with the team. Including the struggles of retooled offense, there is certainly room for him to be even better this year. Brown already finds himself tied at 26th on touchdown receptions for the Yellow Jackets. Another seven touchdown performance would land him tied for fifth. If he plays to the same level in his three remaining years he has the potential to be one of the best receivers in Tech’s history.