CLEMSON – Tyler Brown may have been the best surprise of the 2023 season for Clemson.

The wide receiver, then a true freshman, immediately took on a large role for the Tigers after veteran starter Antonio Williams went down with an injury. Brown, a Greenville, SC., native, notched 531 receiving yards with four touchdowns in his rookie season, before suffering an injury that sidelined him for much of his sophomore year.

Now, headed into his senior season, the veteran is healthy, tenured, and ready to lead the wide receivers room in Clemson’s Annual Orange & White Spring Game.

“I’m feeling great, I’m feeling healthy,” Brown said after spring practice on Thursday. “I’m taking care of my body way more than I used to, having more time to take care of my body and not having those tutors and such things that I had as a younger receiver and just taking advantage of that for sure.”

While Brown’s freshman year was marked by stardom, and his sophomore season marred by injury, the local product’s junior year was more up-and-down.

When Williams went down with another injury against LSU in the Tigers’ season-opener, Brown appeared primed to reprise his freshman campaign. Instead, he made only three starts, recording only one touchdown on 71 yards. He also struggled to reel in catches at times, including two drops in the Tigers’ finale against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Now, with a chip on his shoulder, Brown is looking to write a new chapter in 2026.

“I’m hungry, man,” he said. “I was hungry when I was playing, you know? I just love football, man. I’m just ready to get out there and help my teammates as best as I can.”

Brown’s first chance to assuage his hunger came this spring, with the start of a new era under Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris. With starting wideouts T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco recovering from injuries, Brown has been the recipient of extended reps, according to his coaches.

“Tyler has taken just about every rep,” Morris said Wednesday. “He’s being intentional with how he practices. I’ve been pleased watching him with that.”

While learning a new scheme, anchoring a young room, and working on his own game with a mandatory 50 extra catches after practice each day, Brown feels confident headed into his third Spring Game at Memorial Stadium.

“I felt really good,” Brown said. “Just getting my lungs under me, getting my legs under me, adjusting to this fast pace, and I feel like we’ve just all grown as an offense this whole spring, and I’m just ready to get after it with my guys.”

Some of the “guys” that will line up alongside Brown for the Tigers Saturday are freshman receivers Gordon Sellars and Naeem Burroughs, both of which are mere months removed from high school. While the month of March has been a learning curve for the whole offense, Brown has taken advantage of an opportunity to bring the rookie duo under his wing.

“(I’m) trying to help them take along these workouts and practices together,” Brown said. “There’s going to be words said out there, to kind of discourage you sometimes at practice. You might not do as well one day, but, it’s the next practice that you got to go with.”

After experiencing some extreme highs, like a one-handed touchdown catch as a freshman, to the lows of watching Clemson make a College Football Playoff run from the sidelines with an injury, Brown understands the importance of staying level.

That message, he said, is what he hopes to get across to the younger receivers.

“I’m really just trying to stress that to the younger guys, don’t let the highs get too high and the lows get too low,” the former freshman All-American said. “Just continue to work and get better. And whatever you mess up on, we’re going to look at film and fix it the next day.”

Tiger fans will have their first opportunity to see the new freshmen, Morris’ offense, and Brown’s senior leadership on display Saturday, when all three players are slated to play in the Spring Game. 

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, and admission is free to spectators.