Ji’Ayir Brown bet on himself. Now he’s on his way to leading Penn State’s defense
Ji’Ayir Brown knew things were going to be different early on when he arrived at Lackawanna College to play football in 2018. The Penn State safety had played plenty of football, but not at this level.
Brown played for Trenton Central High School in New Jersey, but only had one offer to play football at the next level. That led him to Scranton, home of the Lackawanna College Falcons, where he quickly realized he was taking a step up.
“I grew up in a struggle so the JuCo struggle never fazed me. When I saw Jaquan Brisker,” Brown told the Centre Daily Times with a laugh, “I was like, oh this guy is like that. I was used to being the player around my neighborhood. The first time I saw Brisker I realized there were players out there that are just as good as me.”
Two years later, it happened again. Brown was taking another step forward on the field. This time he was at Penn State, transitioning from junior college football to Big Ten football — a massive jump regardless of talent level.
He was on the field for practice when he realized once again just how big of step forward he was taking.
“My first practice when I went against Tyler Warren, I was guarding him,” Brown told the CDT. “Ty went up to catch the ball and this dude jumped so high off the ground. I lie to you not, Ty caught that ball and I was like, ‘It’s go time. There’s some players here.’”
Two years have passed since that moment. Instead of preparing for that leap in competition, Brown is the leap other players prepare for on gamedays.
With Thursday’s season opener against Purdue, he embarks on his final season as a college athlete — another milestone in a journey that is fueled by his mother, his own work ethic and continued belief by Brown that he can achieve anything he wants.
Helping out at home
Brown was energetic from birth, bouncing his legs and arms up and down in his grandfather’s arms the day he came home from the hospital. The energy stuck for Brown, who earned the nickname Tigger from his mom after the character from Winnie the Pooh. He eventually shortened it to Tig but the effort and energy never changed.
Nor did his relationship with his mother, Joy Ingram, and his urge to do whatever he had to in order to help her out at home. Ingram was already working two jobs as a single mom — jobs she occasionally took Brown with her too, like when she worked as a bus driver — and doing everything she could to give her four children everything they wanted.
Her son saw his mother’s drive and love for her kids, and made sure to match it with his own.
“I always wanted to make my mother’s life easy and my sister’s life easy,” Brown said. “That made me. That made me exactly who I am. That drive, seeing my mother go through things and and my sisters go through things, that can either motivate you or hurt you. I was fortunate that it motivated me.”
Brown’s efforts came to fruition in his own creative ways. He wanted to help his mom make money and contribute to help his siblings. So he found ways to do it.
His most fruitful endeavor was as a party host. Brown can’t help but laugh reminiscing about his younger days and how he would charge friends and other kids in the neighborhood to come over for the night. There was one stipulation from Ingram — he and his friends had to have the house looking like nobody was ever there by the time she came home from work.
“I used to throw house parties to raise money for around the house,” Brown said. “I would charge the boys $3 and the girls $2 to come in. It was definitely a nice turnout.”
Brown estimates those five or so parties earned him anywhere from $700-$800 per gathering and helped the family financially. It wasn’t always about making sure he and his siblings had the bare minimum either — his mom wanted her children to have what other kids had too.
That meant her putting in hours upon hours at work to get them clothes, sneakers and everything in between. In those times, Brown would make sure his sisters were ready for school and take care of the house when his mom couldn’t be there.
Ultimately Ingram’s sacrifices stayed with Brown, who is now returning the favor. He continues chasing his dream not just for himself, but for his family, too.
“He was always very clingy and very overprotective,” Ingram told the CDT. “I actually cried when I heard him do a podcast because he said everything he does, he does for me. He was like, if it wasn’t for me he didn’t think he’d be playing football to this day.”
Finding a path through football
Ingram’s efforts allowed Brown to play football — what she saw as an outlet so she didn’t lose her son to the streets in Trenton, New Jersey. It kept Brown busy, but it also opened up doors for him.
He showed the ability to play at a high level in high school, but the scholarship offers that flood to most players that talented never came. Brown’s only chance to play football at the NCAA level was at Division III Montclair State University. It wasn’t really an option, at least not to Ingram.
His older brother and his high school football teammates attended Montclair together but eventually dropped out. Ingram said she was never going to let her younger son make the same decision, and put a stop to it.
“When I caught Tig’s high school teammates trying to do it, I said no I’m not signing the paperwork,” Ingram said. “I just couldn’t do it. I was like, no we’ve got to find another option.”
While Ingram wanted to make sure her son stayed on the right path, Brown said she had nothing to worry about. Yes, some of his high school football classmates were planning on attending Montclair together.
But he wasn’t a part of that plan, and didn’t want to go to the school. He had different aspirations. He was ready to put his faith in his talent and work ethic to take him where he wanted to go on the field. He knew how good of a football player he was, and that those who doubted him would be proven wrong.
That led him to Lackawanna. The Falcons were initially ready to take Brown to play for the team, but after a performance in a high school all-star game, the program was ready to get him on campus as soon as possible.
“They already had told me he wouldn’t start until the end of August, but now they’re telling me he has to be there in two days,” Ingram said. “Mind you, I didn’t get nothing for school yet because I knew he didn’t have to be there for another month. I had to hustle and throw him a last minute going away party and everyone brought him stuff.”
Brown’s eventual position coach and coordinator at Lackawanna — Bill Reiss — saw what the young defender saw in himself. He thought he had something with Brown and was ready to find out what it could turn into.
Reiss started him out at cornerback, before realizing safety was the right place for him. Brown flourished under Reiss and became one of the key pieces of a defense that made a trip to the NJCAA National Championship game. His play helped him earn an offer from Penn State, where his mother could continue being close enough to watch him play.
After all, Ingram always saw her son play — even at the national title game. Her kindness was a staple at Lackawanna games, where Reiss said she made a point to check in with him.
“Before every game, she’d find me,” Reiss told the CDT. “... She’d find me before after the game and give me a big hug. And it was a big mom hug.”
Betting on himself
Brown’s story after he arrived at Penn State is much more well-known. He was a solid contributor during the COVID-shortened 2020 season before blossoming in 2021. It was then that he took an enormous step forward alongside friend and former Lackawanna teammate Jaquan Brisker.
Brisker was out of eligibility after the season and made his way into the 2022 NFL Draft where he eventually went in the second round to the Chicago Bears.
Brown, unlike Brisker, had a decision to make. He could enter the draft where he would have a chance to be a potential second day pick alongside his former teammate. He could start making even more money to help his mom and take care of any financial worries. And he could play at the absolute highest level, betting on himself and his ability to succeed.
Instead he placed another bet.
He chose to return to Penn State and right his perceived wrongs of the team’s struggles over the last two seasons. He chose to return to prove he could be better than he was in 2021 when he tied for the lead in the nation with six interceptions — with plans to take that honor by himself this season. He wasn’t satisfied with how last year went and wanted more.
Most importantly for Ingram, her son’s bet on himself was less about proving what he could do on the field even more.
It was about staying all in on earning everything that came with going to Penn State.
“We didn’t have money all this time, so money is not gonna make us or break us right now,” Ingram said. “Give me something that’s going to make me proud. Put that degree on my wall.”
Brown’s wager that he will be even better seems like it will be a good one. He’s already checked one box off the list for his final year, earning captain status for the first time as a Nittany Lion.
He’s established himself as one of the front men for what should be a dominant unit. Brown is an easy choice to be the voice of the unit and the one that leads it. He can command a room, but it’s not an act. New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz picked up on something Reiss also noticed at Lackawanna. There is no acting with Brown, or pretending to be something he isn’t. It’s just Tig.
“Ji’Ayir is rare,” Diaz told the CDT. “There are rare guys that are great players on the field, can shine at a setting like Big Ten Media Days, and then at the same time amongst their teammates, in a fun way, be the center of attention. And then the next day in practice he has to make a message to the team and all the guys respect him. I’ve seen guys that are good at that, I’ve seen guys that are great on the field, I’ve seen guys that can speak well in a public setting. It’s rare to see a guy that’s a 10 out of 10 in every situation. You just think you’re lucky to coach a guy like that.”
Brown has his goals for this year in Diaz’s defense. He knows what winning the bet he made looks like. A win means the team wins more, it means being a part of something special with his teammates and his coaches, and it means proving even more to himself that he will fulfill his potential.
There are plenty of questions surrounding the team he is returning to, but he isn’t one of them.
And as for the bet he’s making? The smart money is on Tig.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
