A four-year Wisconsin starter at safety, Austin Brown earned unusually strong guaranteed money for an undrafted free agent when he signed with the Colts.
Austin Brown spent four seasons anchoring Wisconsin's secondary before going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Indianapolis moved quickly to sign him as an undrafted free agent, backing him with a guarantee well above the typical UDFA deal, a sign of how much the Colts' front office valued his versatility at safety.
Path to the league
Brown starred at Johnston City High School in Illinois before heading to Wisconsin, where he developed into a four-year contributor for the Badgers defense. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft but signed with the Colts shortly after, receiving a guaranteed payout well above what most undrafted rookies command.
Career highlights
Brown played more than 1,500 defensive snaps over his Wisconsin career, gaining experience at deep safety, in the box and at nickel. His production grew steadily each season, culminating in a full-time starting role by his final two years, where he became known for his versatility across multiple spots in the secondary.
2025 season recap
As a senior in 2025, Brown started all 12 games for Wisconsin, finishing with 52 tackles, a tackle for loss and three pass deflections. He opened the season with a fumble recovery against Western Michigan and turned in an 11-tackle performance against Alabama, showing the tackling reliability that made him an appealing free-agent target.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Austin Brown (American football)
- ESPN: Austin Brown
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wisconsin
- Hometown
- Johnston City, IL, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
