Colorado WR Sincere Brown growing into potential with help from childhood idol | Buffs Gameday

BOULDER — Just like a generation before him grew up idolizing Jerry Rice, ever since he stepped up on a football field, Sincere Brown wanted to be just like Randy Moss.

Only, it was much easier for Brown to compare himself to a Hall of Famer when he wound up growing to be 6-foot-5 with blazing speed.

“I idolized Randy Moss ever since I was a little kid,” Brown said this week. “That’s still to this day the best football player to ever touch a football in my life. Ever since I saw him as a young player, I always wanted to be like him in some type of way on the field.”

Former wide receiver Randy Moss before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

That starts with his nickname, ‘Moss Jr.’ 

“I know it’s an expectation you gotta live up (to) when you compare yourself to him,” Brown said.

When you watch the plays Brown has made at the start of his Colorado career, a team-leading 203 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns that have gone for 71 yards and 68 yards, respectively, he’s been living up to that nickname so far — and doing it in front of Moss himself as the longtime friend of Buffs coach Deion Sanders has recently spent some time around the program.

But that hasn’t always been the case for Brown.

Now in his sixth season of college football, it hasn’t been the smoothest ride for the South Carolina native. He began his career at South Florida, where he played alongside fellow future Buffs wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Xavier Weaver. But Brown had just one catch in three years with the Bulls.

USF wide receiver Sincere Brown (7) sprints down the field during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Kelly Sheehan)

The last two years, he returned home and played at Campbell in the FCS ranks. After seeing time in one game in 2023, Brown’s breakout came in 2024 when he racked up 61 catches for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, attracting the attention of Power 4 programs all over the country.

But that was all he had done in five years in college. He still had plenty to prove.

“I got a little doubted when I got here, coming from an FCS program, because of the huge jump,” Brown said. “In my head, I kinda don’t pay attention to those things and just put my head down and work. If you’re a dawg, you can play anywhere. That’s just my identity, at the end of the day.”

Colorado wide receivers Sincere Brown, left, and Omarion Miller, center, congratulate wide receiver Joseph Williams after his touchdown catch against Wyoming in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Even though that’s shown up already with some of the big plays he’s made, including his touchdown against Wyoming, where he reached a speed of 22.3 miles per hour (per Reel Analytics) and was tracked as the fastest player in the country in Week 4, it’s what he’s done leading up to game days that has impressed his coaches.

“Him taking ownership of what he lacks and then making the corrections to get it, I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve enjoyed with him is his coachability, but more importantly, his accountability for what he lacks and then working hard to make sure he fixes it,” CU wide receivers coach Jason Phillips said. “You kinda see that he’s still learning the game. Every day he’s getting better. It’s just cool to watch him with that ability just get better and embrace learning more football.”

Even though he’s just scratching the surface of what he can grow into as a player, Brown already has the Buffs clamoring for him to be more involved. 

“Sincere’s a dawg,” Coach Prime said. “I just want him to have more opportunities to show who he is. I want him to shine like a Christmas tree because that’s how good he is.”

King’s Players to Watch

Colorado: RB Dallan Hayden, DT Amari McNeill

Colorado running back Dallan Hayden (7) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Buffs will be without the two running backs who have seen the majority of snaps so far this season, with DeKalon Taylor and Simeon Price both out with injuries. That means more snaps for sophomore Micah Welch, but it also opens the door for Hayden, the former Ohio State transfer, to reclaim the starting spot he had before suffering an injury of his own in the preseason. A signature performance in black and gold would do wonders for the CU offense. Defensively, the Buffs are thin again on the defensive line, and that’s not a good premonition going into a game against the best rushing offense in the Big 12. But McNeill, who started all last season, has re-emerged in recent weeks, and CU will need him at his best to win the battle at the line of scrimmage.

BYU: WR Chase Roberts, LB Isaiah Glasker

BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker (16) celebrates with his defensive play of the game trophy after the team’s win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

While the Cougars will certainly lean on RB LJ Martin offensively, when freshman QB Bear Bachmeier is asked to take shots downfield, he’s got a pretty darn good weapon in Roberts, who had a big game against the Buffs in the Alamo Bowl. Roberts leads BYU in receptions and yards so far this season. On defense, Glasker was one of the MVPs of last year’s Alamo Bowl and is off to a hot start in 2025 as one of the early candidates for Big 12 defensive player of the year. He’s a playmaker at linebacker and will be key in trying to limit Buffs QB Kaidon Salter.