Kansas State defensive back Aamaris Brown enters transfer portal

Oct. 29—Kansas State football finally lost a player to the transfer portal Friday: defensive back Aamaris Brown announced he was departing after two seasons in Manhattan.

A sophomore defensive back, Brown announced the news Friday afternoon on Twitter.

"I would like to thank Kansas State University, (head) Coach (Chris) Klieman and his staff for the opportunity to further my education and play the game of football that I love," Brown wrote. "After much prayer and consideration with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. To my teammates and the Kansas State University fans, thank you for your support!"

Brown is the first Wildcat to enter the transfer portal since preseason camp in August. Prior to Brown, the last K-State player to transfer was running back Keyon Mozee, who left the program in June.

Brown had been a regular member of the rotation in the secondary since he joined the Wildcats last year. He played in six of K-State's 10 games in 2020, and has appeared in all seven of the team's contests this fall.

But the coaching staff recently said it was trying to find ways to get Brown more involved.

"Aamaris Brown had a really good week," defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said Oct. 14, referring to Brown's progress during the Wildcats' open date the previous week. "He's played a little bit, but we just tried to expand his role a little bit."

Evidently, it wasn't enough to convince Brown to stay.

He finishes his K-State career having appeared in 13 games, tallying 15 tackles (all solo) and a fumble recovery, which he returned 7 yards during last season's loss at West Virginia. He had nine tackles in six games in 2020 and six takedowns through seven contests this fall.

Prior to the 2021 season kicking off, head coach Chris Klieman said one thing came to mind when he thought of Brown's game.

"Splash plays," Klieman said Aug. 10, "but inconsistent."

He then praised Brown's gifts.

"Aamaris is a phenomenal athlete. He can run, he'll strike you, he's physical, he understands the game, but he's still a true freshman in my eyes, because he missed so much time (in 2020)," Klieman said. "He was one who missed an awful lot of time last year through the COVID protocols, (so) he's still learning how our defense operates.

"Once it starts to slow down — and I think it will, because he's a really intelligent football player — he'll play at a higher level. Right now, he's making three or four unbelievable splash plays in practice and then busts two coverages. He understands why he busts them. Once we get that corrected, I look for a really good year out of Aamaris."

Assistant head coach Van Malone, who also serves as the Wildcats' cornerbacks coach, said much the same the following week.

"As athletic as he is, he can play multiple positions in the secondary," Malone said of Brown. "He's a guy who, when you watch him play, he makes plays. He's athletic. He plays with a lot of energy at all times. I'm excited for him, definitely. He's a younger player. I'm excited for him to continue to grow. ... Then he'll help us tremendously on special teams because of his speed, because of his toughness, because of his ability to be able to play in multiple positions."

The 5-foot-10, 187-pound Brown was a member of the Wildcats' 2020 signing class.

Brown was a consensus three-star prospect according to both Rivals and 247Sports. He came in as the No. 146 safety prospect, and the No. 262 prospect in Florida in the 2020 cycle, in the 247Sports Composite.

A native of Seffner, Fla., Brown played at Armwood High School. He ended his high school career with 80 tackles, 11 interceptions and eight pass breakups. Seven of his pickoffs came during his junior season, when he earned all-state honors and was part of the Tampa Bay Times' All-Tampa Bay team.

In his final two seasons at Armwood, Brown helped the school to a 25-4 overall record. The Hawks went 12-2 in 2019 en route to a spot in the Class 7A semifinals. They were even better in 2018, when they garnered a 13-2 record and advanced to the state championship game.