No, he didn’t finish his career at Kentucky, but he did start it in Lexington — and made a name for himself as an all-time returner in the blue and white. Now, Barion Brown is taking his talents to the NFL, selected in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.
The former Wildcat turned LSU Tiger came off the board at No. 190 overall, right where he was expected to land as a projected fifth- or sixth-round pick.
Brown wrapped up his time at UK as the program’s 10th all-time leading receiver and 14th in receptions while earning All-America and All-SEC honors, holding the program record for kickoff return touchdowns with five. It was a three-year run that included 3,273 career all-purpose yards with 1,528 yards receiving, 195 yards rushing, 1,465 kick return yards and 85 punt return yards. He pulled down a reception in 36 of 37 career games as a Wildcat.
The former five-star recruit was named either an All-American — including honorable mention honors in 2024 — or an All-SEC selection in all three seasons at Kentucky. Ranked as high as the No. 2 wide receiver nationally coming out of high school, he is seen as one of Mark Stoops’ greatest all-time recruiting wins during his time in Lexington.
That led to a polarizing breakup to wrap up his career, though, making a senior-year move to LSU in a year that was a disaster for the Tigers, finishing 7-6 overall with losses in six of seven ranked matchups. Brown would rack up 532 yards on 53 catches for a touchdown to go with 445 yards on 15 kickoff returns with a score in that one year in the gold and purple.
The Nashville native wasn’t always consistent as a pass-catcher, but no one can deny his natural gifts as a return specialist with second-to-none burst and home run ability. He put on a show doing it every Saturday, and now, he’ll get his shot doing it on Sundays with the New Orleans Saints.
Congratulations to the former Wildcat as his NFL dreams come true.