Jacurri Brown Previews the 2021 Season in Latest SI All-American Blog
Jacurri Brown is one of the most highly-recruited junior quarterback prospects in America, collecting more than two dozen scholarship offers from programs coast to coast before committing to Miami on March 26. He has agreed to give Sports Illustrated exclusive access into his world by chronicling everything from his experience as a high-profile recruit to his home life and preparation for his senior season.
Welcome back to the show! Congrats, the season is here.
With the season hearing, not to get sentimental, but these four years went by really, really fast. Just taking a second to think about it blows my min. It's crazy how this is my senior year. Last ride, last dance, all of that. This is it. I literally have four months to get prepared for the next step in my life (college).
I just had my first day of school last Friday. My classes are looking pretty good for me, I'm gonna have a breezy semester before I head out.
The family is good, the team is coming together. We're a little green and don't really have a lot of experience. But we've got talent, for sure. If everybody is playing for each other and trying to reach the same goals, we will do special things. I can think back to when I was first playing, as a freshman, and it was a blur. The game seemed a lot faster but once I got some games under my belt it played out really good for me. That helps me relate and encourage my inexperienced teammates.
Courtesy of Jacurri Brown
It's about getting the young guys to take it serious. We probably have around 20 seniors and only a handful of us have actually played up until this point. So with that being said, it's going to be a lot, knowing I don't have anyone a grade ahead to lean on. I gotta to be more vocal than I was before, I gotta lead by example, I gotta take things to another level.
This is the only year that counts. In a way, nobody is going to remember the teams that came before us and reached the state championship or semifinals. No matter what record you broke, or numbers you put up that year, they're gonna remember the class of 2022. It's not even your audition, but your last games, farewell, almost like retirement. Some of these guys will never suit up again.
Tom Brady's last pass with the Patriots was a pick-six. He could have easily retired if he wanted to but he got back out there and didn't end it like that. It would have been the worst thing for his legacy. Instead, he made a move to the Bucs and got a Super Bowl the following year. So that's the mentality going into this year.
Courtesy of Jacurri Brown
I went back down to Miami for the pool party and just like any other time, it was a good vibe. My whole summer has been packed with football and just getting ready. It's only right I ended the summer with a pool party at the crib. Good time, good place, around future teammates and recruits.
I'm familiar with most of the guys on the team, just building more familiarity with the players and school. Every time I go down there I fall in love and this time didn't disappoint. Even being there for just one night. That's my fourth trip down there, so I'm getting real comfortable with the area.
This time I hung out with Khalil Brantley, a freshman tight end. We hung out at the pool party and after that we went the beach, got some food and just talked it up. It was me, him and Kamren Kinchens. I had some good steak tacos but I forgot the restaurant's name.
I feel like this year will be the year to win the ACC Coastal. Week 1 should be a good tone-setter. I mean if you're gonna beat 'Bama, your best shot is the first game even though 'Bama always reloads. They've got a young quarterback (Bryce Young), they just fill in with the next guy. But it should be a really good tone-setter for the season. We've got a lot of experience coming back, especially with all those seniors.
That game is actually on my birthday and I'll be there. So maybe we'll get some luck off of that. I feel, as a whole, we've got a good shot. Experienced quarterback, experienced O-line, DBs are great. Receivers are looking good, we've got (Charleston) Rambo and (Mike) Harley, so now we have that taller receiver with wide range that you can throw to, so it should be great. Then Coach (Rhett) Lashlee, in his second year, should be even more off the charts. The defense should be solid, you've got Leonard Taylor working in early to get the pass rush going, so that's a big key for sure.
Back to Lowndes, our first game is Saturday, Aug. 21 at 2:45. We play Walton, they're pretty talented. They have a UNC commit on their team (Marcus Allen) and some other good skill players. We're playing in the Benz, too, so we'll be on TV. I'm really excited for that, especially because it's my last first game. This should be a tone-setter for the season.
I'm kinda in the same boat as Miami. We're playing in the same stadium. I'm playing first, but it's a tone-setter for our team on a big stage. It will show everyone what we're gonna do this year, what we're made of. Everybody's watching, a lot of eyes will be on us...
So it's time to show up and show out!
With all of that being said, I've got a game to get ready for this week. I'm really happy that sense of fear is back in my life. If you're not scared of your opponent or scared of failure, I mean what are you even playing for? I'm glad that feeling is back and I'm glad football is back in general. COVID isn't gone, but it's loosening up, so the whole feel of football is back. It's a great feeling.
Wish me luck and Go Canes!