Georgia's Sock Color Cost Them the Chance to Sign A.J. Brown

The Eagles star recounted the obscure reason why he ultimately signed with Ole Miss out of high school.

Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown recounted why he signed with Ole Miss over Georgia out of high school. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Phildelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown has been one of the top pass catchers in the NFL since arriving on the scene with the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 NFL draft.

The three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion has caught 446 passes for 7,026 yards and 49 touchdowns in his six professional seasons. Brown, unsurprisingly, was one of the top receivers at the college level as well as at the high school level coming up through the ranks.

Brown was ranked as the No. 47 prospect overall and No. 5 wide receiver in the 2016 high school recruiting class, and committed to play football at Ole Miss over Alabama, Mississippi State and Georgia.

The Bulldogs were working hard to earn the commitment of Brown, but ultimately the star wide receiver couldn't see himself playing college football in Athens. Why? Sock color.

"I didn't choose Georgia, I got recruited by Georgia," Brown told Barstool's Pardon My Take on Wednesday. "I didn't choose Georgia because I don't like wearing black socks. That may be crazy but I hate wearing black socks. ... Putting black socks on with black cleats, it's just so hideous. Because when I put on white I feel so fast, so smooth. Like, it's just something about it."

AJ Brown didn’t commit to Georgia because they wear Black socks during games@rhoback pic.twitter.com/jzEtI3u9E5

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) August 6, 2025

Ole Miss is certainly glad he chose to play football in Oxford. In three seasons, he caught 189 passes for 2,984 yards and 19 touchdowns, leaving his mark as one of the best receivers in school history.

---

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

feed