Byrum Brown has already learned one thing about Auburn: the spotlight follows you everywhere.
That was obvious Tuesday at SEC Media Days, where Brown wrapped up a long day in the ballroom of the Tampa Marriott Water Street by taking question after question from a packed group of reporters. For a quarterback who spent the last four years at South Florida, it was a clear reminder of how much bigger the stage is now that he’s at Auburn.
Brown was asked directly about the jump from USF to Auburn and whether that meant more pressure. He didn’t frame it that way.
“I’m just gonna continue to do everything that I’ve been doing for the past four years,” Brown said. “It’s just more eyes on it now, seeing it, so I can’t wait.”
What has stood out to him most since arriving on campus isn’t the pressure. It’s the attention from Auburn fans.
Brown hasn’t taken a snap in front of them yet, but he’s already seen their presence at spring practice and at events with head coach Alex Golesh. He called the fanbase welcoming, and said that hasn’t changed even as he’s gone through his seventh month at Auburn.
“The first month, first two months, you expect that,” Brown said. “I’m going on month seven, and they’re still saying, ‘Welcome to Auburn, we’re glad to have you here.’”
Brown also got a chance this week to revisit where his college career started. Before his media duties on Tuesday, he joined Golesh and several others on the AMBUSH tour stop in Tampa on Monday night. The night ended at Meat Market, a steakhouse in Tampa that Golesh said Brown chose.
At SEC Media Days, Brown made it clear he’s thankful for his time at USF and believes the big games he played there helped set him up for what comes next at Auburn.
He carried himself with the same steady confidence Golesh has talked about since Brown arrived. He sounded comfortable, not rehearsed, and his comments about Auburn’s roster backed that up.
“The talent we have here is phenomenal," Brown said. “I can’t wait to play with those guys. And, I mean, I think they’d say the same thing: We can’t wait to just go out there and play football.”
Brown’s role at Auburn goes beyond what he does on the field. As the quarterback, he’s the one responsible for running the offense Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon put in place. Off the field, he’s become one of the program’s most visible voices, the player Auburn turns to when it needs a representative at public events.
He’s also the face of a program entering Year 1 under Golesh, and that’s part of why he keeps showing up in moments like this.
Still, SEC Media Days don’t count in the standings. Brown knows that.
So did Golesh when he spoke earlier. The real test comes later, and Brown won’t get that first chance until Sept.
For now, he doesn’t seem rattled by any of it. The attention is bigger.
The stage is brighter. Brown sounds ready for that.
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