The nation’s top-ranked linebacker in the 2024 class was back on campus at Clemson last Wednesday for another unofficial visit.
Jefferson (Ga.) High School five-star Sammy Brown – also a top-10 national prospect in his class, regardless of position, according to both 247Sports and the 247Sports Composite rankings – took in the Tigers’ final spring practice prior to last Saturday’s Orange & White Spring Game.
Following Wednesday’s practice, Brown (6-2, 220) was able to have dinner with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wes Goodwin.
“We got there just in time for team meetings and then watched their practice. Afterwards we went and ate dinner with Coach Goodwin,” Brown told The Clemson Insider. “It was an overall great visit. The practice was more preparation for the spring game than anything, so it was a really chill day. Great to catch up with Coach Goodwin and others.”
Brown liked seeing how the Tigers’ practice had a more relaxed vibe to it as they put the finishing touches on their preparation for the spring game.
“(Wednesday’s) practice was a way more laid-back practice, but they still got some work in,” he said. “Everyone’s joking around a little bit more. And that’s a good thing to have in your culture. They’re familiar with each other and are able to joke around with each other.”
On March 12, when he was previously on campus before last week’s visit, Brown became the first prospect in the class of 2024 to earn an offer from the Tigers.
Brown, who has been camping at Clemson since he was 10 years old, was extremely honored to earn that distinction. Usually, Clemson waits until June 1 of a prospect’s junior year to hand out an offer, but there is enough familiarity between Brown and the Tigers’ staff and a strong enough relationship in place that Dabo Swinney made an exception for offering him.
What was the main message that Brown took away from his conversations with Swinney and Goodwin during last Wednesday’s visit?
“Coach Goodwin and Swinney basically kept the message of ‘we are really interested in you but take your time,’” he said. “They want me to have fun seeing all the other places but want me to know that they’re highly interested. They also said just to keep working in high school and stay focused on that for the time being.”
Brown, who also made multiple gameday visits to Clemson last season, is once again looking to participate in the Swinney Camp this summer and said he might even make it back to Tiger Town sooner than the camp rolls around.
Before visiting Clemson last Wednesday, Brown went to Georgia the prior weekend to watch its scrimmage and also visited Alabama last Monday, when he picked up an offer from the Crimson Tide. Following the Clemson visit, he traveled to Oklahoma on Friday, and he said he might make a trip to Ohio State but is still figuring that out.
The plan for Brown, he said, is to probably determine a top-five schools list sometime during his junior year and then make his commitment at some point after that.
“As of right now still just taking everything in,” Brown said of the recruiting process. “We wanna be able to see as much as possible before we make a decision so we know that we’re making the best decision.”
Brown is considered a five-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, which ranks him as the No. 1 linebacker and No. 9 overall prospect in the country for the 2024 class.
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