Brown already feels like part of the family

Wide receiver Jalen Brown is dealing with quite a bit of change this season.

Unlike a freshman, Brown played three years at Oregon before transferring to Northwestern this year as a graduate transfer, so he is already used to playing big-time, Power Five football. But just like the 28 true freshmen on the Wildcats’ roster this season, he is getting used to new coaches, new teammates, new systems, a new campus and, once school starts in another few weeks, new classes.

That can be a lot to take. But Brown says that, so far, things have gone smoothly.

“(The transition) is going well,” said Brown after Wednesday’s practice in Kenosha. “It’s a great group of guys and a great coaching staff. Every day working with them is very motivating.”

Fellow wide receiver Flynn Nagel has been impressed with how quickly Brown has gotten acclimated to his new environment while working out with the team over the summer as well as in camp.

“He looks good, he’s making the transition really well,” said Nagel, now a junior. “I know it’s got to be tough switching schools like that, but he’s handled it really well. All the guys in the room like him, he’s a cool guy.”

Brown graduated from Oregon with a degree in Economics and Business in just three years, which means that he won’t have to sit out a year as a graduate transfer and can play immediately this season for the Wildcats. It also means that he has two years of eligibility remaining, a rare luxury for a graduate transfer. (Offensive lineman Trey Klock, a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech, is in the same situation.)

Transferring from one program to another can be a challenge for any player, and for Brown, perhaps, more than most. He is coming from Oregon, a high-profile program that played in the national championship game and produced a Heisman Trophy winner (Marcus Mariota) just a few seasons ago. It’s also a team famous for its flashy uniforms and lavish locker room.

While Northwestern has enjoyed quite a bit of success in recent seasons and is building a palatial football facility of its own on the Evanston lakefront, the Wildcats are a rung or two below the Ducks when it comes to national notoriety. If Oregon is Jay-Z, Northwestern is more Brad Paisley.

Brown has felt the difference in the two programs already. He says that Northwestern is much more of a family than Oregon was.

“The biggest thing is the family atmosphere,” said Brown, who will study Sports Administration at Northwestern. “Here, you’re accepted at all levels – players, coaches, freshmen, even equipment staff. We have each other’s backs.

“In a bigger program like Oregon, there are more people moving in and out. It’s more business-like at a big program like Oregon.”

Brown says that he enjoyed his three years in Eugene but decided that his “best opportunity for success on and off the field was to go elsewhere.”

A four-star, Rivals100 recruit coming out of Phoenix (Ariz.) Mountain Home in 2014, Brown chose the Ducks over offers from schools like Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and – you guessed it – Northwestern. He never visited Evanston during his initial recruiting process, but now, a few years down the road, he appreciates the smaller, family-like environment.

Northwestern appreciates what Brown can add to its receivers room. A 6-foot-2, 198-pounder, Brown caught 26 passes for 407 yards and 4 touchdowns in two seasons at Oregon. He is coming off of a year in which he caught 19 of those passes for 318 of those yards and 3 of those touchdowns.

Brown has spent most of his time as an outside receiver in Northwestern’s offense, which he said is similar to Oregon but with different terminology, play calls and “twists.” However, he doesn’t like to pigeonhole himself into a type of receiver; he thinks he can do whatever is necessary for the Wildcats.

“I don’t like to specify a type (of receiver), I just want to be as versatile as I can,” Brown said. “I pride myself in having great hands, that’s the biggest thing for me. I try to use whatever I can, whether its speed, strength, quickness, precise route running.”

Nagel has seen that versatility as well. He thinks Brown can be a speed guy or a possession guy for the Wildcats. “I think he can be a little bit of both. He’s got a bigger build and he’s fast, he’s shown that speed.”

Brown is getting acclimated to Northwestern’s playbook, and he’s learning all the receiver positions so that he can understand the concept of the entire offense. That’s all head coach Pat Fitzgerald expects from his new receiver right now.

“Melt into the family,” was how Fitzgerald put it. “Just go learn the offense and have fun. Just a terrific young man and we’re excited to have him as part of it.”

Brown also isn’t too concerned right now about what he can bring to the Wildcats’ passing game, which is trying to replace the Big Ten’s best receiver last year in Austin Carr. He just wants to go out there and play.

“I don’t try overthinking it,” he said. “I am working just as hard or harder than anyone. It’s an honor to be part of a brotherhood like this one.”