FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – The bowl schedule always lines up with the holidays, and for many of the Clemson freshmen, this is their first time celebrating away from home.

Wide receiver Tyler Brown is a member of that group, and he was amazed by the experience of spending Christmas with his fellow Tigers. Part of it came with receiving a gift from defensive tackle Tyler Davis, while also buying a gift for the newly arrived linebacker Sammy Brown.

Brown spoke to Clemson SID Ross Taylor about the experience.

“It’s been great, man. Just being with the guys, coaches. You know, first Christmas away from the family but there’s nothing like a Christmas at Clemson, man. Clemson atmosphere all year round…it all feels at home, so you know it’s been great,” Brown said.

Switching gears to the football side, it’s all eyes on Kentucky in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. When discussing the team, Brown is impressed by their secondary but specifically the competitive nature of the group.

While many are quick to opt out of the bowl game, the Wildcats had multiple decide to return for this game and that meant a lot to Brown.

“Great, gritty team. Great DB’s. Long DB’s, they can definitely run. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play these guys, man. A lot of their guys, they planned on going to the NFL draft early but a lot of them coming back to play us and I respect that a lot,” Brown said.

As this matchup approaches, Brown is a key part of the offense that’s building for 2024. He’s the leading returning receiver and that adds extra responsibility for the freshman phenom. This will be the first game he plays as the true No. 1 receiver, and it’ll be key to watch.