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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 26, 2019

Cam Brown

University Park, Pennsylvania

Q. Coach Franklin was talking about guys coming over for Thanksgiving, and I know that some guys maybe go to coach pry's house or somebody else's. Can you share about what that day is like here during your time at Penn State?
CAM BROWN: Yeah, okay, Coach Pry, Coach Franklin, all the coaches, they welcome everybody to come to their houses, no matter who you are, what position you play. You can go to Coach Banks', Coach Smith's. It doesn't matter. It's a very welcoming environment. The coaches have always emphasized that -- they actually make it mandatory that we let them know where we're going to make sure we get a home-cooked meal and know that we're loved and make sure -- that family atmosphere is part of what we preach all the time, bringing that family atmosphere, and this is just another example of that showing.

Q. Four years on campus, what have you seen from when you got here to now almost exiting that has really stood out in terms of development within that building? The things that we don't have access to, what have you seen that have shown signs of growth?
CAM BROWN: I think the biggest thing is with Coach Franklin. The last year and a half he's been very aware of his surroundings and he wants to improve every aspect. You guys know him, he wants to improve on the details and things like that, but it comes to players, he wanted to improve his relationships and make sure that everybody understood where he was coming from in certain things and explains everything a little bit more in detail just so guys weren't questioning things and certain things like that.

Honestly, just the connections, too, throughout the building, the players and the locker room, everybody is becoming a little bit more close. Every day guys get closer and closer. I feel like that's the biggest thing for me, like the relationships.

Q. You specified the last year, year and a half. There's been a noticeably different approach then versus maybe the first three, two and a half years when you were on campus in terms of how Franklin has tried to address things?
CAM BROWN: Yes, it would be a noticeable difference. He's still the same very -- he still preaches the same messages to us all the time. The messages haven't changed. It's just the way he goes about it have changed a little bit. I mean, it changes with the players you have. When you've got a bunch of older guys like in years past, it's a different approach that when you have a young team like this.

Q. I hate to throw this your way, but we just learned Franklin was briefly asked about it, but Justin Shorter has reportedly entered the transfer portal. Is that something that at this point in the season, one game left, big favorite in that game, and then a bowl game, is it kind of -- can you feel that tension where maybe some guys on this roster are poking their head around and maybe wondering if their time at Penn State has come to an end?
CAM BROWN: I don't think so, honestly. Personally, I don't think so at all. This program I feel like is as strong as it's ever been, and right now I feel like guys are making decisions for themselves. It is what it is.

Q. Rutgers has scored 105 points in the last 10 games. What is it about the offense that concerns you guys?
CAM BROWN: The fact that they have athletes. They've got athletes just like every other team in the Big Ten, and they have playmakers, and I feel like for them it's just about putting it together, and we're going to make sure they don't do that again to us this week.

Q. Following up on that question, for this week's match-up with Rutgers, what excites you and what challenges do you see from your perspective?
CAM BROWN: What excites me is it's my last opportunity in Beaver Stadium, with this defense, with this team. Honestly, it excites me the fact that we get to play another game. Every week it excites you. You get to Tuesday, you get to practicing again and you're starting a new game plan, it gets everybody going a little bit and it's a new source of motivation.

So I think that's about it, honestly.

Q. Cam, what have you maybe learned about Brandon Smith and Lance Dixon this year? Behind the scenes what have they done to impress you or surprise you, anything like that?
CAM BROWN: Just their growth, their growth in the film room, their growth in asking questions, and wanting to be taught. I feel like that's a hard thing when you're a freshman at first. You come from being the big fish to now the little fish and you're trying to pretty much learn everything, and I think that was the hump that they got over, that they're asking questions more now, and you guys see they're freakishly athletic, so I feel like the next part for them is the cerebral part.

Q. When you see a young guy and he goes through two or three years of his career, I guess at that point you would be gone, but when you see younger guys that don't quite always figure it out for whatever reason, what are the things that maybe developing hard at this level, not in terms of you are not as good as you could be, but what makes it hard to get good at football sometimes?
CAM BROWN: I like that question. Honestly, I feel like it comes from everybody's background. It's from where you started. Some people get here being freakishly athletic, some people get here by making plays off their brain. I feel like it's different for each person, honestly. It's not something you can put a finger on and say the development in college is hard because of this. No, some people are struggling mentally because they're away from home, some people struggle physically, some people struggle with the demand itself, and some people have to question theirselves if they really, truly love football. That's what college teaches you and makes you divide the difference, if you love football or if you just love being a football player.

Q. I'm going to ask you to dig into the memory bank a little bit. First if you have maybe a Thanksgiving memory growing up that kind of sticks out how, and then in your time here at Penn State, do you have a memory you might cherish with maybe some of your other teammates or just your teammates that sticks out to you?
CAM BROWN: Yeah, I was just telling somebody a story about my mom. Since she's a doctor, she used to bring the flu shots home with her, and I remember at Thanksgiving I was going through the fridge just looking for whatever pre-cooked I could get out of there, and next thing you know I had a needle in my arm, and I was like, oh, geez. She was like, yep, gotcha. I don't know if that's the medical way to do it or if it's proper medically, but she got it done, and I'll never forget that day, honestly.

But for in terms of now, I think the biggest memory I have was the first time I went to Coach Pry's house. He had the Louisiana gumbo and a fried turkey that I've never had before. I'm used to having smoked turkeys and all different types of turkey, but fried, I was so confused when he pulled out this big burnt turkey. I was just like, oh, gosh, and he's like, no, you've got to cut through it, it's good. It gives it flavor. Ever since then I love turkey and gumbo.

Q. Has it hit you yet that it'll be the last bus ride, and how emotional do you think it's going to be in the tunnel, all those things?
CAM BROWN: Honestly, I think it didn't hit me. I think it's hitting me currently, honestly. I've been thinking about it, the process, just everything going through it. It's going to be an emotional weekend for me, mentally at least, but the game of football is about containing those emotions and playing the game. That's my biggest thing this weekend is focusing and being able to channel myself to play in this game.

Q. You've been around these other seniors a lot. Do you think one person is going to be especially emotional?
CAM BROWN: I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if I see some emotion out of Jan Johnson this weekend. Jan is a very even-keeled guy, doesn't really show any emotion. I feel like if anything this weekend we might see a little bit from him.

Q. College football has become kind of transient in nature with people either transferring or leaving for the NFL. How odd is it that a lot of these people that you came in with, those couple of classes are maybe somewhere else now and not part of what you guys are going to experience this weekend?
CAM BROWN: I mean, it hurts a little bit just to see the guys you came in go somewhere else, but at the same time, you know those guys are doing what's best for them or trying to, at least, and I feel like it's a part of the game. I think players are doing what we've been doing, honestly, but I feel like the transfer portal definitely does make it a little bit easier.

Q. Five or ten years from now or maybe longer, when fans and players look back on your career, what do you want your legacy to be and what do you want to be remembered for?
CAM BROWN: Hmm, what do I want to be remembered for? Honestly, I want to be -- I always think about this. I want to be remembered as a guy that played hard all the time, fought through what he could fight through, and tried to be out there for his team. I try to push, tried to lead this year, and granted, it didn't come out the way I wanted it to, but I feel like that part is going to at least stay in the locker room. The guys will know that I always fought for them, even with the coaches. I fought for the coaches in the locker room, I fought for the players with the coaches, and I feel like if that's what I can leave here with, I'm good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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