COLUMBUS — Fall camp provides the media with just a glimpse of how the players look on the field, but junior cornerback Cameron Brown only needed one period to show what he could do. Brown had two consecutive pass breakups in one single period of the third fall camp practice last Friday.
Now after missing all but two games of the 2020 season, a healthy Cameron Brown is ready for his breakout season and is ready to help boost the Buckeye secondary.
Brown went down in the game against Penn State last season and was ruled out with a torn achilles. He missed the remainder of the season and was out for all of spring ball. What he thought would be a big year for him, turned out to be the opposite.
“It sucked I ain’t going to lie,” Brown said. “I was really looking forward to that year and I felt like that was my year for me to break out and just hopefully get to my goal and be in the NFL. But everything happens for a reason — just take my time and keep going this year. You have to, it’s the past. I have to move on from it.”
Although head coach Ryan Day said Brown will be on a “pitch count” to limit his reps throughout fall camp and ease his way back into the game, Brown feels good and had no mental block coming back to the field.
“I feel like I’m 100 percent ready to go,” Brown said. “I’m full go, ready to go.”
Finally, Brown has the opportunity to make a difference in the Ohio State secondary. Last season, the Buckeyes ranked No. 122 in passing defense out of the total 127 FBS teams.
Now a healthy fourth-year player, Brown provides the secondary with leadership and game experience and is expected to play an even bigger role than before his injury as a potential starter opposite Sevyn Banks.
For defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, having Brown back in the mix is a game changer.
“It means everything,” Coombs said. “Cam [Brown] was playing really well last year. People forget that. He had a good camp, he’s playing really well, he’s going out there playing nickel, playing man-to-man in some tough situations.”
“He’s fast, he’s twitchy and he’s going to go out there and compete,” Coombs said of Brown’s play.
After going through his injury to now being back out on the field in fall camp, Brown has a different outlook on the upcoming season and a new appreciation for the game.
“I’m realizing that anything can get taken from you at any moment,” Brown said. “So you take advantage of the opportunity you get.”
