​Redshirt freshman safety Josh Brown is preparing for his second year with the Panthers.  Brown, a Georgia native, started playing football at an early age, but stopped to pursue his baseball career. Brown graduated from Peachtree Ridge High School where he played baseball and football.  Throughout his time at Peachtree Ridge, Brown earned second team…  Read More Lifestyle 

​Redshirt freshman safety Josh Brown said he has a passion for baseball as he started playing it when he was 8 years old. He said he loves football too but misses baseball every day. (Sia DeyKoontz )

Redshirt freshman safety Josh Brown is preparing for his second year with the Panthers. 

Brown, a Georgia native, started playing football at an early age, but stopped to pursue his baseball career. Brown graduated from Peachtree Ridge High School where he played baseball and football. 

Throughout his time at Peachtree Ridge, Brown earned second team All-Region. Brown recorded 73 tackles, 51 solo stops, two interceptions and five pass break-ups. 

During the 2024 football season, Brown was on the special teams unit and played in four games. 

In this Q&A, Brown shares his experience of recently crossing to Eastern Illinois University Delta Chi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, what he plans to do with his major and if he had the power to bring someone to campus who it would be. 

Q: When did you first start playing football?

A: “I first started playing football when I was 6 years old in Atlanta, Georgia. I actually stopped playing when I was around 8 years old. From there I started to pursue my baseball career. A lot of people don’t not know this about me but I’m really a true baseball player at heart. I came back to playing football my 11th grade year of high school. I got a lot of grace from it, and that’s what brought me here.”

Q: So you just cut football completely out to focus on your baseball career?

A: “Yes, because baseball was a sport that I loved, and the sport that I liked to play. I actually enjoyed all the times that I would be out there. Football was a family thing. Not that I’m saying that I didn’t love football, but I had more passion for the sport of baseball. It was a unanimous decision my 11th grade year that I wanted to come back and play football for fun, for strictly fun. And I turned out to be pretty good.”

Q: What made you want to take your football career to the next level?

A: “The passion. That passion I had in my younger years of football immediately sprouted back the first time I stepped on that field in 11th grade. I started to find my love again, and the reason why I wanted to play this sport. I did start to get a little more grace in football than I did in baseball. It’s harder to play at the collegiate level in baseball than it is in football, but that didn’t take anything away from what I did in football. I was a good player. I did what I needed to do.”

Q: Do you ever miss baseball, or was football always your first love?

A: “I miss baseball every day. Even to this day, I still talk about trying to walk on to the collegiate baseball team because I know I could. If I really wanted to, I know I could, it’s still in me. Yeah, baseball was my first love.”

Q: Why did you choose to play at Eastern?

A: “During my process of evaluating different schools and different places, I was breaking down the things that I valued in college, not just the sports wise, but the things that I valued and wanted to get out of college. When I took my visit to Eastern Illinois, the football staff and the campus kind of presented everything that I was looking for. Not that all the other schools didn’t, but it was more for the football side. It was a want thing more than an add on type of thing. That’s what I wanted to hear out of my recruitment process and all the things like that. So, Eastern Illinois was the spot and I’m blessed to be here.”

Q: What was the biggest thing you learned from being part of the special teams unit this past season?

A: “Being able to know your responsibility and executing it the right way. A lot of people don’t know special teams are one of the most important units of a football team. I took a lot of pride in that last year, being able to give it my all every chance that I did get on that field.”

Q: Why did you choose to major in business analytics and info systems, and how do you see that playing into your future after football?

A: “So business analytics and information systems kind of branches into multiple different fields of the workforce. I knew that I wanted to be involved in some type of business, being able to pick that major, it has a lot of math in it. I enjoy math and things that come with that. I have a lot of aspirations in management and things of that nature. So this business major is the kind of start to all those things because it’s so broad  in what you can get out of this. But having that major in your resume is a good look for these retail businesses.”

Q: You recently just crossed into Phi Beta Sigma as a freshman, how was that experience?

A: “Yeah, it’s definitely a lot. Being able to come in as a freshman and cross it’s challenging. Being able to balance all the things that come with that. But I feel like I have a different type of drive than a lot of people and a different type of focus. So I was able to balance all the things that I had on my plate while I was in the situation that I was in. I’ve always known that I was going to be a Sigma, and a part of this fraternity. So there was nothing that I wanted to wait for. I knew what I wanted, and as soon as that opportunity presented to me, I took advantage of it.”Q: How did you balance the demands of pledging while also being on the football team?

A: “Well, it wasn’t easy, of course, but I also had somebody that was doing the same things as me. My L[ine] B[rother], Jordyn Stewart. He’s a great additive to the football team, and in the Greek life community. Us going through the same things, having to stay on top of our academics, but the balance was really an internal thing that I knew that I needed to do. I couldn’t slip on my grades. I couldn’t slip on the responsibilities that I had. I’ve always had a different type of drive to do the things that I want to do.”

Q: Do you feel your involvement in D9 has made you a stronger leader on the field?

A: “I feel like, yes, it has. I’ve only been able to reap the benefits so much with me being new to the fraternity. But I know over time, the qualities and the things that I learned and adopted. I’ll be able to take those things and not just on the football field, but, you know, everywhere, be able to apply those in my life. So, football is the main thing. I’ve definitely gained a lot of pride in that way.”

Q: What does being a Sigma mean to you personally, especially as a young Black man on a college campus?

A: “For me personally, I feel like it’s always been taught and always been kind of represented in my life with my father being a Sigma. A lot of young Black men on campus when they come, they try to find their place and find the type of people that they wanna be around, that they eventually kind of wanna be like in life. And I feel like with me, I wanna be that representation to anybody that’s coming to look for the things that they don’t have. That was me coming onto this campus. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. So being able to come here and find people that genuinely wanted to see me do good. And I found out within the fraternity, I wanna be that same type of representation.”

Q: Being a legacy is a huge deal, how does your family feel?

A: “I mean, I’m sure they feel great. My father, of course, my mom too, she’s a part of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. So it’s kind of all in my family. For my dad specifically, I’m not his first legacy. I’m actually his second legacy. So my older brother actually crossed the fraternity too. I know they take that with a lot of pride. I know they’re really and excited for me. So being a legacy is a lot, being able to adopt the same things and be able to hold that type of standard up to the par. It’s a lot. It’s definitely, definitely amazing for sure.”

Q: What legacy do you hope to leave as both a student athlete and a Sigma man at your university?

A: “I just hope that all the things that have been instilled within my life and all the things that I’ve learned, I can relay those to anybody who needs it, wants it. I hope that I can be that representation of a man, not a Sigma man, but a man in general. I want to be that likable person, somebody that you can talk to, somebody that you can, you know, if you need help with something, I want to be that person to whoever it is on campus. I am a freshman, but I want to be more involved on campus so people can see who I am and learn from me. I feel like I’ve done good in the past with mentorship. Sigma specifically in Greek life and all those things, the yard is definitely going to know who I am and the morals that I uphold and all the things that I work towards. I feel like the whole yard is going to learn a lot from me.”

Q: Who on the team are you giving the aux to?

A: “Me. I don’t feel like nobody else in the car deserves the aux more than me. But, if I had to maybe give somebody two or three songs in the car, then I would.”

Q: What does your playlist consist of?

A: “I like all different types of genres of music. You might look at me walking around campus, and you might think. ‘Oh, he likes rap.’ I don’t really like rap too much. I got a lot of other things in my playlist. It’s really diverse. I don’t have a favorite artist, but I feel like I got a vibe, a type of vibe of music that I like more.”

Q: What’s your top three genres?

A: “Old school, hip-hop, reggae.”

Q: Do you think pineapple goes on pizza?

A: “You know, I feel like if you like pineapple on your pizza, then I don’t really know. I don’t really eat pizza. But if you like pineapple, why not put it on your pizza?”

Q: If you had the power to bring anyone on campus who would it be?

A: “Barack Obama. Being the first Black president, I feel like he has a lot of impact in these young African-Americans’ lives.  And not only them. I feel like in the town and area that we’re in, I feel like a lot of these people on campus need to hear some of the things that he might have to say. He’s going to have the right thing to say. Politics are a big thing in today’s time. So having somebody with that type of wisdom and that experience, just to come and speak, everybody’s going to listen. And he was the best president.”

Q: Who’s the funniest on the team?

A: “We’ve got a couple of funny guys. [Jacarre] “Smoke” Fleming. He’s a pretty funny guy. We’ve got Johnovan Wysinger. They call him Jono on campus. He’s pretty funny too.”

Q: Looking back on all that you know now, what would you tell your 10-year old self?

A: “I would just tell him to be yourself, to stay yourself.  Find the right group of people that want to do the same things that you want to do. Make sure you really take the time to evaluate the situations that you’re in. Keep your eyes open because it’s easy to get blinded by a lot of things. I wish I could tell him to think into the future and what decisions you’re making now. How they’re going to affect you. Listen to your mom. Not that you didn’t, but listen to your mom. Listen to your parents because they only want what’s right for you. Have that big ego that you have. Make sure you’re doing the right things.”

Payton Liggins can be reached at 581-2812 or at paliggins@eiu.edu.