Pac-12 media day: Long Beach Poly grad Jayon Brown becomes star for UCLA

Jayon Brown, a 6-foot, 220-pound junior linebacker for UCLA, was “only” a three-star pick out of Long Beach Poly. After leading the Bruins in tackles last season and becoming what Coach Jim Mora calls “a tackling machine,” he’s passed plenty of players who were ranked above him out of high school.

At Friday’s Pac-12 media day in Hollywood, he explained that size doesn’t really matter. He was UCLA’s leading tackler last season with 93 tackles.

“They say I’m undersized. I don’t feel undersized, I don’t play undersized,” he said. “They’re human just like I am. They’re men. I’m a man. The better man wins. I believe I’m going to come out on top victorious in a one on one battle. I trust my abilities. I feel me at my best I can beat anybody.”

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