Jax State's Sean Brown Named to John Mackey Award Watch List

JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State's Sean Brown was named among the nation's elite tight ends on Friday, when his name was listed on the John Mackey Award Watch List.
The John Mackey Award has been given to college football's most outstanding tight end each season since 2000 and is named in honor of Mackey, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
The John Mackey Award focuses on the best "true tight end" in the nation, with the selection committee focusing on the style of Mackey. Selection criteria mentions the player must play on the interior line with blocking responsibilities and possess the potential to play tight end on the professional level. The committee also considers other Mackey qualities including, but not limited to, positive sportsmanship, good academic standing and leadership on and off the field.
A native of Rome, Ga., Brown enters his redshirt-junior season at Jax State after back-to-back All-ASUN Conference campaigns for the Gamecocks in 2021 and 2022. He led the ASUN tight ends in receiving in both seasons and was the Gamecocks' second-leading receiver in 2022.
A big-play threat in the Gamecocks' receiving game, Brown hauled in seven catches of over 20 yards last season, averaging 18.4 yards per catch overall and 19.0 yards per catch in league games. He also served as a key blocker in a Jax State run game that ranked fifth nationally with over 250 yards per game.
The committee will also award the John Mackey Tight End of the Week during the season, an honor different from the annual John Mackey Award. The weekly honor is based solely on players' on-field receiving performance.
Brown and the Gamecocks are over a week into fall camp in preparations for their Aug. 26 season opener and FBS debut against UTEP. It will also be Jax State's first Conference USA matchup and will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.