$1.9 Million QB Named 'Most Exciting Player' in College Football

A quarterback at a Power Four program has been described as the 'most exciting player' in college football by one media outlet.

South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) prior to the game against the UTSA Roadrunners | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The movement from the 2026 NCAA transfer portal cycle brought an influx of new personnel to programs all across the college football landscape.

Most of the players who entered the portal in January did so to find quicker paths to the field or better financial opportunities. However, some players who entered the portal grouped together to follow their former coaches from one school to another.

One player who joined a larger group was former USF starting quarterback Byrum Brown, who followed head coach Alex Golesh to Auburn. Brown has one season of eligibility with the Tigers.

The 6-foot-3, 231-pounder arrived at USF in 2022 as a part of Jeff Scott's final signing class. Brown used his redshirt in 2022, although he started each of the Bulls' final two games. He ended his first year 36-of-50 passing for 404 yards, five touchdowns and an interception.

Brown stayed through USF's head coaching transition from Scott to Golesh, and he was named the Bulls' starter in 2023. He finished his first full season as a starter with 3,292 passing yards, 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions while rushing for 809 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Bulls finished 2023 at 7-6, their best mark since 2018.

South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown (17) drops back to pass against Syracuse in the first quarter during the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

2024 did not play out the way Brown envisioned; an injury he suffered in the Bulls' loss at Tulane ended his season after five games. At that point, he had thrown for 836 yards and two touchdowns and run for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Brown's 2025 campaign was his best at USF. He passed for 3,158 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go along with 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Brown was named to the All-AAC Second Team offense for his prolific 2025 season.

Brown was the most crucial import of the 13 players Golesh brought from Tampa to Auburn. Mark Schlabach, Dave Wilson and Harry Lyles Jr. of ESPN prominently featured Brown in a preview of the top spring football storylines in the SEC that they released on Monday. Lyles wrote that the player to watch at Auburn during the 2026 spring football was Brown.

"When Brown is at his best, he's one of the most exciting players in college football. He's physically gifted and tough, the type of player Auburn fans can get behind," Lyles wrote. "A lot of the Tigers' success in Year 1 under Golesh is going to depend on the performance of Brown, who will be playing alongside plenty of familiar faces from South Florida."

A rematch with Baylor headlines Auburn's 2026 non-conference schedule. The Tigers play three College Football Playoff participants from a season ago in Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama, all of which they will play against on the road. Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi State are the only teams on Auburn's SEC slate with a losing record.