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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn rising senior Derrick Brown finishes as finalist for Man of the Year

<p>Derrick Brown (5) tackles Shai Werts (4) in the first half. Auburn vs Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sep. 2 in Auburn, Ala.</p>

Derrick Brown (5) tackles Shai Werts (4) in the first half. Auburn vs Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sep. 2 in Auburn, Ala.

Auburn All-SEC defensive tackle Derrick Brown has been named a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, Brown said on his Instagram on Wednesday morning.

This is the second year of the award, which honors “leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.” 

This year, Wisconsin safety D’Cota Dixon was honored with the award.

Brown, who is called “Baby Barack” by his teammates, has been a pillar in his community during his time at Auburn. He is the vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Auburn, and is also a member of the SEC’s Football Leadership Council. 

Brown announced after Auburn's bowl win over Purdue he would be returning for his senior season on The Plains.

"I want to take care of all the little things now, so I when I get to the next level it won't be a problem," Brown said of returning for his senior year. "Also, just putting myself in position to win national awards. I also know that, in doing that, I can only be beneficial in improving myself by helping all these other guys out, being one on defense and being one as a team." 

Brown's younger brother, Kameron, signed with the Tigers last week as a three-star linebacker prospect. Derrick welcomed his first son, Kai Asher Brown, into the world Dec. 20.


Bryce Johnson | Sports Writer

Bryce Johnson is a junior Journalism major at Auburn University from Santa Monica, CA. He works as a sports writer for The Plainsman.

  • @Brycejohnson310
  • bzj0020@auburn.edu

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