A bunch of top prospects made their way to Death Valley last Saturday and witnessed Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College, including Jefferson (Ga.) High School star Sammy Brown.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound sophomore is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and the No. 5 overall prospect in the country for the class of 2024.
Brown had been to a Clemson football game with his family prior to Saturday, but the Boston College game was his first time at Death Valley as a recruit on an unofficial visit.
“It was an overall great experience,” he told The Clemson Insider. “Great to get up there and meet the coaches and experience a night game. Great coaches and a great defensive game.”
Clemson’s defense, which forced three turnovers and only allowed BC to reach the end zone once, made a big impression on Brown – as did the Tigers’ fan base.
“Definitely something I noticed was the crowd support,” he said. “Even on small 3- to 4-yard runs, the crowd is on their feet cheering. That speaks volumes about the support that Clemson’s fans have for their team.”
“Clemson’s defense continued to dominate, only letting up one touchdown all game,” he added. “Anytime you do that it’s impressive, but especially against a quality opponent like BC.”
While on campus, Brown spent most of the day with defensive player development coach Daniel Boyd, who was honored as Clemson’s Hero of the Game, as a former sniper for the 101st Airborne who served two tours in Afghanistan.
Brown also had the chance to chop it up with defensive coordinator Brent Venables a couple of times, and the two have already built a good bond early in Brown’s recruiting process.
“He was more talking about high school ball and asking how we’ve been doing and other things like that,” Brown said.
“Coach Venables is just a great guy in general,” Brown continued. “On and off the field, he knows what he’s talking about, and he’s just an overall great guy. I was able to get his phone number so we can stay in touch. So, I would say that our relationship is pretty tight.”
Brown also saw Clemson play in person earlier this season when he attended the game vs. Georgia in Charlotte as a guest of the Bulldogs. He has made game-day visits to UGA and Ole Miss this year as well.
Per Dabo Swinney’s policy, Clemson doesn’t offer sophomores such as Brown, though he already holds offers from Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Brown certainly hopes to add Clemson to that list in the future.
“It would definitely be an honor for sure,” he said. “Clemson has a way of recruiting where they won’t offer unless they’re 100-percent sure about it. So, for Clemson to offer me would definitely be a great honor.”
Brown transferred to Jefferson from Commerce (Ga.) High ahead of his sophomore season. As a freshman in 2020, 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.
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
