One of the nation’s most sought-after linebackers for the 2024 recruiting cycle was in Clemson recently and spent plenty of time getting to know defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin.
Sammy Brown (6-2 220) of Jefferson, GA was the first member of the 2024 to pick up a Clemson offer, and that came while he was on campus on March 12th. He then returned on April 6th to take in the Tigers’ final spring practice prior to their “Orange and White” spring game. Brown was also on hand for head coach Dabo Swinney’s camp in early June, but he didn’t participate in workouts.
“My brother was actually doing one of the little kids’ camps, so we just kind of made a visit out of it,” Brown said. “It’s just fun to get up there and meet people and build relationships because it’s not like it’s super difficult to get up there. It’s only about 45 minutes from the house, so I really just kind of went at lunch and helped my brother move in and all that, and then met with all the coaches, talked about PAW Journey, and then just watched some camp. So, it wasn’t really anything special, but it’s just good to get up there and talk to all the coaches again.”
Brown said receiving the Tigers’ first offer meant something to him.
“It’s really a blessing, but more than that, it’s kind of a motivation. At the same time, you’re the first 24 guy to get the offer, so you have to kind of prove yourself and prove that you deserve that, and you earn that.”
The Georgia native is making sure he gets to know everything he can about Clemson and its defense.
“I really like Coach Goodwin. He’s a really genuine guy. He’s not one of those up-in-your-face kinds of people that’s always yelling and screaming,” Brown noted. “He’s super laid back and I think that’s something that I really like. And he’s just a regular guy. We always talk about hunting and fishing and all that stuff that I like to do. So, it’s not like he’s all about football and recruiting. It’s kind of what I like, too.”
The rising junior boasts offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and Southern Cal among others. And he plans to visit a few of them before the summer is through.
“We only have one other recruit visit set up,” Brown revealed in discussing his future plans. “We’re going up to Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State because they’re all within driving distance, so that’s the only thing we have planned. And anything else is really just kind of played by ear. And then this fall, Clemson is one of those places that if we can pop up, we’re free, and they have a home game we can just go to. So, this fall we definitely want to try to get back to a Clemson game because they have a really good thing going.”
So where exactly does Clemson stand at this point?
“I really like what Clemson is doing. They’ve got one of the best cultures in college football by far,” Brown said. “When you have a coaching staff that stays for over five years as Clemson does, that definitely speaks volumes of your culture and your environment you’ve got going. So, I think that Clemson’s got a great culture and they’ve got a great thing going, and I really like what they’re doing.”
