For Bentonville Native CJ Brown, Playing Well For Razorbacks Is An 'Obligation'

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Bentonville High school, where Arkansas wide receiver CJ Brown made a name for himself before committing to the University of Arkansas, is only 30 minutes north of Razorback Stadium.

The Bentonville native, who is entering his junior campaign, knows that being an Arkansas native and playing football for the state's flagship university comes with added pressure.

"I feel like that's part of my responsibilities," Brown said Wednesday. "Represent the state well. I'm from here. I gew up here. My mom has to go to work on Sunday, and her colleagues ask her about it. So I feel like I'm obligated to play well."

Cj Brown — Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver CJ Brown (3) prior to the game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at War Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the most part, Brown has played well at Arkansas. He hauled in 28 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns last season and has emerged as a top receiver during the offseason. He could very well end up being one the top targets of either KJ Jackson or AJ Hill this fall.

That doesn't mean there weren't speed bumps along the way for Brown, who put the ball on the carpet as a freshman against Arkansas' biggest rival in Texas in 2024.

He hasn't let that moment define him, however, and nearly two years later is in a position to be a leader for a Razorback offense that will need to be explosive to win games in Ryan Silverfield's first year at the helm.

Like his head coach, you won't find Brown dwelling, or even caring about what happened at Arkansas last season, when the Razorbacks went 2-10 for the third time in eight years.

"I can't do anything [about] what happened last year," Brown said. "But my actions that I take right now can affect what goes on this coming season. So I feel like we're more like a forward-facing kind of attitude toward it all."

Arguably the biggest story of the offseason for the Razorbacks following the hiring of Silverfield has been the ongoing quarterback battle that has pitted returnee KJ Jackson against Memphis transfer AJ Hill.

Brown, for the record, doesn't have a dog in the fight so long as whoever ends up being the signal caller does a good job.

"I think they're two obviously great players," Brown said. "Two great competitors. I was telling y'all in the spring, competition is going to bring the best out of a player, and the best man is going to win. That's who I want to be my quarterback. I want the best quarterback out there."

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