“Nowadays you got to tell your kids to go outside. I was the kid that you got to tell to come inside,” Brown said in a media availability Tuesday afternoon. “I was the kid that my mom came looking for when the streetlights came on. So, I always been an active kid, and I always knew that I was going to do something athletically.”

Two things have stayed consistent from the time Brown was a kid spending all day outside in Chicago: his elite athletic ability and his dream to become a Spartan.

“It (MSU) felt like home. Growing up being a Spartan was my dream. Been my dream school since I was a kid,” Brown said. “I watched (Mark) Dantonio and the way that his team came and played. I just drifted towards the program and the culture as I grew up.”

After originally committing to MSU in 2019, he ultimately reclassed and committed to Nebraska in 2020, delaying his official arrival at MSU until 2023 after transferring in.

It’s been a long six-year journey with plenty of ups and downs, shaping an experience far from what Brown likely expected when stepping on Nebraska’s campus in 2020. Yet through it all, he doesn’t regret a single moment.

“I don’t regret anything that I go through because it makes me who I am today,” Brown said. “You got to mature. You gotta go through hard things to be ready.”

After dealing with injuries in his last two seasons in East Lansing, Brown enters 2025 facing a receiver room loaded with depth. Without a starting receiver spot, he has found a new way to make an impact as a kick returner and gunner on punts.

“I’m not taking as many snaps on offense, so my mindset is just go out there and do whatever I got to do for the team,” Brown said. “They need me to go down there and run on gunner, I’mma go down there and do it 100% and then be able to return kicks.”

Embracing the role of special teams, as Spartan receivers have done before him not only in college but in the NFL. Former wide receiver Jalen Nailor is an example, earning his starting wide receiver role with the Minnesota Vikings after beginning in the NFL as a gunner.

“He (Nailor) was a gunner,” Brown said. “Now he’s out there. He’s going to start in the lineup with the Vikings receivers, so you got to pay attention to that. Special teams is part of the game. Special teams can definitely change the game.”

Having examples coming straight from campus serves as motivation for Brown, but he has also found similarities in his current role to his former role in high school.

“I’m a team player. I’ve been that way since I was in high school,” Brown said. “I was a previous quarterback, so just being there for my teammates and making sure I’m vocal. Whether it’s special teams, whether it’s offense, whether it’s talking to the defensive guys.”

With a performance like he had on Saturday, it’s safe to say things are starting to click. Brown racked up 100 yards on just two returns in the first half, forcing the Eagles to kick away from him for the rest of the game.

“It’s a sign of respect, but it’s irritating on my side, I’m one of them guys that’s eager to go out there and do something for the team,” Brown said. “Finally, Spartan Nation got to see what I could bring to the team.”

Regardless of where he is on the field, Brown’s only goal is to leave an impact anywhere he can with the hope of not only helping his team win but keeping his NFL dream alive.

The next opportunity to see a kickoff land in Cadillac’s hands is Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when the Spartans take on Youngstown State.