Razorback Roster Rundown: No. 21 Montaric Brown

This article is part of a series previewing the Razorbacks’ 2020 football roster.

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After redshirting his first year on the Hill, Montaric "Busta" Brown began seeing the field in 2018, Chad Morris's first season. Brown played in 11 games and made three starts behind seniors Ryan Pulley and Kevin Richardson. In 203 defensive snaps, Brown posted nine tackles, eight solo, with a pass breakup. He was targeted 14 times and gave up 10 receptions. His final grade from PFF for his freshman season was a 59.2, sixth worst on the team behind Joe Foucha, Richardson, Grant Morgan, Santos Ramirez and Isaiah Nichols.

Brown missed two games due to injury in 2019 but made 10 starts at corner opposite Jarques McClellion. His play improved markedly from his redshirt freshman season to the sophomore season and his season grade went from sixth worst on the defense to 8th best. In 659 defensive snaps, Brown recorded 39 total tackles, 25 solo, one for loss, as well as three pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery. He went from allowing 71.4% of receptions to 51.4%. His run defense and coverage grades were good but eight missed tackles on the season gave him a 58.1 in tackling.

Overall, Brown ranked 24th amongst SEC corners while his counterpart McClellion ranked 33rd. He ranked 12th in run defense amongst SEC corners and 29th in coverage.

A veteran in a young defense, Brown has two very solid years of snaps under his belt and is a near-lock to keep his starting job in 2020. It won't be a cake walk for him however, as the Hogs brought in a transfer corner this offseason and there are youngsters who want to compete for starting snaps as well.

The Razorbacks added graduate transfer Jerry Jacobs from Arkansas State and Devin Bush opted to return to Arkansas after entering the transfer portal last season. That doesn’t even include guys like Ladarrius Bishop and Malik Chavis, who drew praise from the previous staff as promising young players.

Brown's significant improvement year one to year two is a promising sign that he's still growing into his full potential. Barry Odom will call dime often, allowing more defensive backs to be on the field at once, so even if Brown doesn't continue starting, he'll get plenty of usage.

Ashdown native Montaric Brown was the No.1-ranked player in the state of Arkansas in 2017 and was bumped up to 4-stars during his senior season, making him one of five 4-stars in Arkansas's class (the other four transferred).

With 11 Division-I offers to choose from, Brown cut a top five of Arkansas, Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Oklahoma State in the summer before his senior season. He chose Arkansas a month later while on an unofficial visit to campus with his family. Brown considered taking an official visit to Oklahoma State before signing day but stayed solid.

MORE: Razorback Roster Rundown