The 49ers are adding a new face to their secondary with Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown. We wrote about what his fit is with the club, but there’s plenty more to know about him than what he brings to their roster.
Here are a handful of things to know about Brown as he gets ready to suit up in red and gold:
Disney-based nickname
Brown’s nickname, Tig, is short for Tigger – the tiger in Winnie the Pooh. His mom gave him the name as a kid because he was so high energy and always bouncing around, per the Athletic’s Dane Brugler. That energy is something that drew the 49ers to Brown so heavily they moved up 12 spots in the draft to pick him.
Turnover machine
It took a few years for Brown to get his college career rolling. He was at a junior college for two years before transferring to Penn State. Once with the Nittany Lions he didn’t start any of the nine games he played his first year. Then in 2021 he was moved into the starting lineup and he immediately started creating turnovers. In his final two seasons he posted 10 interceptions, forced three fumbles and recovered three fumbles.
Hooper!
Brown was a superstar football player in high school, but he also excelled on the basketball court. As a senior he averaged a double-double with 12.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. According to Brugler he also led the state of New Jersey in steals that year with 6.7 per game.
Team MVP
It might’ve been a long road to the starting job at Penn State, but Brown made it count. He finished his career by winning the team’s MVP award in 2022. Brown stuffed the stat sheet as a senior, racking up 74 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, seven pass breakups and four interceptions.
