#1 Jayce Brown — True freshman Jayce Brown (1) was quite the unexpected revelation in 2023, becoming possibly the most consistent wide receiver down the stretch. Will he remain a top target for Avery Johnson this season or will the dreaded sophomore slump set in as teams focus on him? | Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In which BracketCat counts down the final day before the 2024 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State wide receiver Jayce Brown.

Goal No. 1: COMMITMENT. To common goals and to being successful.

#1 Jayce Brown

True Sophomore | 6-0 | 179 lbs. | Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Position: Wide Receiver
Previous College: None
Projection: Starter
Status: On Scholarship

Jayce Brown (b. April 30, 2005) is a young, athletic wide receiver from Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida who is majoring in kinesiology.

He is very good at route running, can catch in traffic and possesses deceptive acceleration.

Brown did not redshirt in 2023 and instead played in 10 games with starts in each of the final six contests, totaling 437 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 27 catches.

His 16.2 yards per reception were the most among all true freshmen nationally during the 2023 season, while he tied for eighth in total receiving yards and 10th in receiving scores.

Brown tied for the third-most receiving touchdowns by a freshman in school history and the most by a true freshman (Tyler Lockett, 2011) as he built a connection with Avery Johnson.

He also produced the third-most receiving yards and tied for the fourth-most receptions by a freshman in school history, while both were the top marks by a true freshman.

Brown ranked second on the team with nine receptions of 20 or more yards, which equated to 33.3% of his overall catches. He set a career high with 96 yards at Kansas, including a career-long reception of 46 yards on the first offensive play of the game.

Brown also had 88 yards against TCU, which included a 43-yard reception and his first career touchdown catch. He later had touchdown receptions at Texas and against NC State, the latter coming in the Pop-Tarts Bowl to put the game away.

Finally, Brown set a career high with five catches each against Iowa State and NC State.

He prepped under head coach Frank Beasley at Choctawhatchee, where he earned first-team all-state honors as a senior from FloridaHSFootball.com, in addition to first-team all-area honors, after hauling in 48 receptions for 925 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Brown also carded 10 interceptions as a prep player on the defensive side of the ball.

He helped to lead the Indians to the third round of the playoffs in 2022 and also competed in basketball, baseball, and track and field.

Brown selected K-State over offers from Air Force, Alcorn State, Arkansas State, Army, Charleston Southern, Charlotte, Georgia State, Middle Tennessee State, Navy, Tulane and Western Kentucky.

He also garnered recruiting interest from Alabama State, Dartmouth, Florida State, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Florida, Tennessee and Wake Forest.

Brown’s main recruiters were coach Van Malone and former position coach Thad Ward.

His father, Don, was picked in the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

One of Brown’s sisters, Brittany, played basketball at Florida State and currently plays professionally overseas, while another sister, Gabby, played basketball at East Tennessee State and West Florida.