One of the nation’s best young prospects, regardless of position, is Sammy Brown of Jefferson (Ga.) High School.
Brown, who plays linebacker and running back at the prep level, checks in as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and the country’s No. 5 overall prospect in the 247Sports initial top 100 rankings for the class of 2024 that was released this week.
While a couple of schools are recruiting Brown as a running back, most view him more as a linebacker – including Clemson and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brent Venables.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore worked out for Venables and the Tigers at the Dabo Swinney Camp in June.
“I worked with the linebackers at camp,” Brown said. “Coach Venables had some good things to say about my movement and aggressiveness as well.”
Brown enjoyed being coached up by Venables at the camp, as well as defensive analyst Ted Roof and some of the current players that worked the camp.
“It was a great atmosphere to be in and really good coaching,” Brown said.
Speaking of coaching, Brown has a coach in his own home. His father, Michael Brown, is in his first year as the associate head coach at Jefferson High after previously serving as Commerce (Ga.) High’s head coach. Sammy was previously at Commerce as well.
According to Sammy, his father “has been talking with Coach Roof a good bit” about him.
“Just general stuff, just staying in touch with each other,” Sammy said of what he’s heard from Roof through his dad. “He will reach out every once in a while. For example, he made a comment about my power clean.”
Per Brown’s Twitter profile, he has power cleaned 330 pounds, squatted 485 pounds and bench pressed 325 pounds. As a freshman at Commerce last season, he garnered first-team all-state honors after rushing for 1,368 yards on 133 carries (10.3 average), catching six passes for 181 yards and totaling 19 all-purpose touchdowns to go with 41 tackles and two sacks.
“I am working to be an aggressive and physical player on both sides of the ball,” he said, looking ahead to his sophomore campaign. “It’s important to me to play with great discipline and effort as well.”
A bunch of major programs have already offered Brown, including Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Clemson doesn’t offer sophomores, per Swinney’s program policy, but Brown hopes to receive an offer from the Tigers when they begin dispensing offers to class of 2024 prospects down the road.
“It would certainly be a blessing and an honor!” he said. “Clemson is a great program with an even better culture… Any time you get an offer from a school like Clemson, it’s a big offer!”
Along with Clemson, Brown visited South Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn and Tennessee this summer. He said he wants to make it back to Clemson for a game or two this season if his high school football schedule allows for it.
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