Michigan State Football: Shakur Brown is playing at All-Big Ten level

With only a couple of games left the schedule, Michigan State football’s Shakur Brown is hitting his stride. He could be an All-Big Ten performer.

Before the season began, you’d probably have a couple of names in mind if somebody asked you who would be the best player on this defense. The first is obvious: Antjuan Simmons. He’s one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten and has been playing as such. The second would likely be safety Xavier Henderson, who has been having solid year.

The player that almost nobody expected to have a great season would be Shakur Brown. That’s not speaking negatively about how he has done in the past, just an indicator for how unexpected this season was from him.

Outside of East Lansing, most people probably wouldn’t even know the name. Despite a pick six a couple of years back, he hadn’t really done anything noteworthy behind guys like Josiah Scott and Josh Butler. After a 2019 season where he was nagged by injuries all throughout, he stepped into the spotlight for the Spartans at the perfect time.

He started his redshirt junior season off on a high note, notching his third career interception against Rutgers. This one would have been another pick-six if not for a penalty that lost the Spartans some field position. After that game, he’d remain relatively quiet from the cornerback position, playing solid football for a few more weeks until Michigan State came up against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Even though the game was never really in reach for the green and white, Shakur Brown made sure they had a chance throughout the entire contest. Brown’s first interception in this one came just when it looked like the game was bordering on a blowout. The score was 14-0 and Indiana was threatening to score. Michael Penix Jr. threw a pass to the end zone and in an odd turn of events, Brown was the one who ended up with the ball in his hands.

Unfortunately, Rocky Lombardi would throw an interception on the very next play.

This was one of two interceptions he’d have on the day, a total that would be matched the very next week against Northwestern. After two years, Brown would come to face the same quarterback that gave him his first pick, Peyton Ramsey, and he’d prove to be a problem for the Northwestern starter. Brown’s two interceptions played an important part in the Spartans upset over the top 10 Wildcats.

It’s clear that Brown will be the guy in East Lansing from here on out. As the second-highest PFF rated cornerback in the country, he’s playing better than any other cornerback in the Big Ten. If he keeps it up, he’ll be earning All-Big Ten honors for the next couple of years. The unit as a whole is still young, but Brown has lifted a young, inexperienced secondary to the next level.