Reigning from Starkville, Mississippi, A.J. Brown is quickly emerging as one of the NFL’s next superstars. He’s gone from winning a state championship at Starkville High School, to breaking the school record for career receiving yards at Ole Miss, to becoming a Pro Bowler in the NFL. At the speed he’s going, both literally and figuratively, A.J. has his eyes set on becoming the most dominant wide receiver in the league.

As one of the most athletically gifted kids growing up, it’s no surprise that A.J. Brown has dominated in the NFL thus far. A.J. grew up in Starkville, Mississippi and attended Starkville High School, while playing both football and baseball in his time there. As a senior, A.J. compiled an astounding 83 catches for 1,371 yards and 13 touchdowns enroute to the 6A state championship title. Consequently, he was the receipt to a plethora of accolades including being named First Team All-State by USA Today, The Clarion-Ledger, and the Mississippi Association of Coaches, as well as being selected to both the Under Armor football and baseball All-American games. He is only the second player to be selected to both games along with Kyler Murray. His four year performance at Starkville led to 247Sports ranking him as the 47th overall prospect in the country and 2nd in the state. In the February following his senior season, A.J. committed to staying in-state to play for Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels. 

From the moment he stepped into Vaught Hemingway Stadium, A.J. provided an immediate impact to the team’s success with his dynamic play-style. As a true freshman, A.J. appeared in every game of the 2016 season as well as starting in one, finishing the year with 29 catches for 412 yards and five touchdowns. Even in his limited play time, A.J. hinted at the player he would mature into in the years to come, with notable performances coming against then ranked No. 1 Alabama, in which he hauled in a 37-yard touchdown, and against Texas A&M, in which he led all Ole Miss receivers on the day with 77 yards on four receptions. 

In 2017, A.J. broke out in record-breaking fashion, breaking the school’s single season receiving yards record and tying the school’s receiving touchdowns record. He also led the entire SEC in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, while ranking 10th and 11th in the respective categories. Other records broken or tied on the season included breaking the school record for receiving yards in a single game with 233 against South Alabama and tying the school’s single game reception record with 14 against Louisiana. All in all, A.J. totaled a jarring 75 catches for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns, eventually being selected to First Team All-SEC by SEC coaches, Associated Press (AP), and Phil Steele, as well as Third Team All-American by AP. 

The following season, A.J. picked up right where left off, breaking his own records that he had set in the previous season. He would once again break the school’s single season receiving yards record along with single season receptions, both of which led the entire SEC. Brown would also be a handful against SEC rivals all season long, racking up 10 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown against Auburn, the most receiving yards tallied by an Ole Miss receiver against Auburn in the two teams’ playing history, and surpassing the 200 yard mark in a game against Vanderbilt with nine catches for 212 yards and a touchdown. Though A.J. maintained Third Team All-American status by AP, he was also once again First Team All-SEC by the conference’s coaches, AP, and Phil Steele. All in all, A.J. concluded his illustrious career at Ole Miss as the school’s career leader in yards (2,984) and 100-yard receiving games (12), and single-season leader in yards (1,320) and receptions (85). At the conclusion of his junior year, A.J. announced that he would be entering the upcoming NFL draft. 

Five months following his final game as a Rebel, A.J. took the next leap in his football career, getting the call in the second round of the NFL draft from the Tennessee Titans. In just his first game as a professional, A.J. turned heads across the league, recording 100 yards on three receptions in a 43-13 blowout over the Cleveland Browns. Three weeks later, A.J. recorded his first two career touchdowns which included a 55-yard touchdown, leading to a 24-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. By the end of the regular season, A.J. amounted 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns, leading all rookies in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. As the Titans’ season continued beyond the regular season, A.J. would help take the Titans to their first AFC championship appearance in over 17 years. 

A.J. would not skip a beat in 2020, as he followed up his extraordinary rookie year with an impressive second season, finishing the year off with another 1,000 yard performance. His season would be highlighted by key performances in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts, in which A.J. had himself four catches for 98 yards that included a 69-yard touchdown reception, and Week 17 in which A.J. had yet another 100-yard game, with 10 catches for 151 yards, including a crucial 52-yard reception on the final drive to set up a game winning kick to help the Titans win the AFC South for the first time in 12 years. The following week, A.J. recorded his first career postseason touchdown, in a six-catch 83-yard effort against the Baltimore Ravens.