How Jackson State football quarterback Jason Brown rediscovered his confidence in his final season

Jackson State quarterback Jason Brown loves to play football and relishes competing at the highest level.

Brown had success at Saint Francis University, an FCS program in Pennsylvania. He transferred to South Carolina in 2021, where he was 60-of-108 passing for 721 yards with eight touchdowns and led the Gamecocks to wins over Florida and Auburn in four starts.

Brown spent the 2022 season at Virginia Tech, where he played in three games, and was 7-of-13 for 65 yards with no touchdowns.

He joined the Tigers as a graduate transfer during the past offseason and won the starting job. Through seven games, Brown is 125-of-196 passing for 1,357 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He'll be starter again when Jackson State (4-3, 2-2 SWAC) travels to Mississippi Valley State (1-5, 1-2 SWAC) on Saturday (2 p.m. ESPN+).

How Jason Brown won Jackson State football's starting QB job

Jackson State coach T.C. Taylor, making his debut as a head coach this season, wanted an experienced quarterback who would not turn the ball over. Brown is in his sixth and final year as a college quarterback. That was appealing as Taylor looked for a replacement for former All-Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year Shedeur Sanders, who transferred to Colorado after the 2022 season.

Taylor said Brown is a student of the game and one of the first people in the building, always watching films trying to get better.

“I’ve seen leadership," Taylor said. "I mean he’s an older guy and we needed some immediate help on the offensive side of the ball at the quarterback position. We have a lot of new guys out there and some younger guys.”

Where Brown has matured is knowing when to check the ball down to a running back, such as against Bethune-Cookman when facing a third-and-five he threw a short pass to Irv Mulligan out of the backfield and Mulligan converted it into a 10-yard gain and a first down.

Confidence is a key for Jason Brown

Brown’s best game statistically was in the opener against South Carolina State, in which he was 26-of-31 for 356 yards with three touchdowns. He hasn't approached those numbers since, in part because the Taylor's offense has a run-first approach, but Brown said that during the open week in late September, he did some self-reflecting.

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He was also happy with the good week of practices he’s been having. Now he wants to execute at a high level.

“There were times before,” Brown said, “like the Bethune-Cookman game, where I was second-guessing myself. Second-guessing my confidence. I have been playing this game since I was 5 years old. Just knowing that I can still play this at a high level and I just have to believe in myself like I used to. I watched some old stuff -- ‘I did that and I did this’ -- and built up that confidence slowly.”

Brown said he has become much better at in picking up his reads and knowing when to run the ball. When the first, second and third receiver options for a passing play are not open, he has the option and ability to run the ball.

“He’s been doing what we have asked him to do week in and week out, not really turning the football over," Taylor said. "Coach Quinn (Billerman), the quarterbacks coach, has been doing a good job with him. Jason is a student of the game, and he loves the game of football, and he loves his team. I’m very proud of him.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State football: How QB Jason Brown rebuilt his confidence