Redshirt freshman receiver Josiah Brown committed to Penn State as a four-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. ESPN tabbed Brown as the top ranked prospect in the state of New York, and he was ranked No. 3 by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals.
Brown suffered a non-contact injury in October of his senior season in high school that forced him to miss his entire freshman year. The Penn State receiver tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus.
But after missing more than a year of football, the redshirt freshman was finally back to feeling like himself this offseason. That was until he suffered another injury, that will keep him out long-term.
Josiah Brown Can't Catch a Break
Throughout Penn State's preseason camp, Brown had looked good in his recovery from his ACL, MCL and meniscus tears. The redshirt freshman has been cleared to play for a while now, but his body and mind came together throughout the summer to be ready for fall camp.
"He’s been physically cleared for a while. But this is his first major injury, so there’s the mental aspect," Franklin said last summer. "I know talking to him in the weight room the other day, he’s finally at a point where he feels like, he said, ‘Coach, I’m 100 percent,'" Franklin said last summer. "I’m like, ‘100 percent?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, 100 percent,’ like, he feels good. So that’s great going into camp. Real talented guy. It’s a shame that his senior year got cut short.
"So, it’s exciting having him back and seeing what he’ll do. And it’s great that he feels, mentally and physically, 100 percent going into camp."
Unfortunately, that didn't last long for Brown. The redshirt freshman suffered an injury during preseason camp that was deemed significant, and falls under the program's "long-term" designation.
Now, Brown will have to battle through rehabbing another injury before he can finally start his college football career. However, if there's room for optimism, it would be the way he was performing in camp before the injury.
"He didn’t really play as much because he came from high school injured, so now he’s just really getting in the fold of playing receiver for almost a full year now. And I think that he’s getting settled at the position," receiver's coach Marques Hagans said. "He’s always been fast and explosive, and I think now he’s starting to really settle in on just playing the position. So, he’s had a good camp so far.
"He’s playing fast, he’s competing, he’s making plays, and he’s physical as hell in the run game. So I think that’s another added dimension to his game and to our room. I think he’s got off to a good start so far this camp."
The injury is an obvious blow to Penn State's receiving group, and an even larger blow to the young receiver's future after a promising start in camp. It will be another long journey back to football for Brown.