Penn State football S Ji’Ayir Brown announces he will return in 2022
Penn State football received good news Tuesday afternoon from one of its better defensive players. Senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown announced he will return for the 2022 season via his personal Twitter account.
“I am confident with my decision to remain at Penn State alongside my brothers for another year,” his statement read. “I look forward to learning, growing and developing more as a player, a student and a man.”
Brown helped form a formidable duo on the back end of Penn State’s defense alongside fellow senior Jaquan Brisker, whose eligibility runs out after the Outback Bowl.
Both excelled in the run game and the passing game, allowing for former defensive coordinator Brent Pry to deploy them in several ways.
Brown recorded 67 tackles, six passes defended and leads the team with four interceptions this season. He’s spent two years with the Nittany Lions after spending two at Lackawanna College before transferring. He’s able to return thanks to an NCAA ruling that allowed all athletes competing in the 2020-21 season to gain an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The senior safety could help stabilize a defense that will deal with plenty of turnover next season. Brisker, Arnold Ebiketie, Derrick Tangelo and Tariq Castro-Fields will all exhaust their eligibility after this season and starting linebackers Ellis Brooks and Brandon Smith have both announced they will skip the Outback Bowl and enter the 2022 NFL Draft.
Even beyond those six starters departing, the unit will also have a new defensive coordinator in Manny Diaz, who replaces Pry after he left to become Virginia Tech’s head coach.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
