Clemson's Sammy Brown lands in ESPN's Top 10 freshmen

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ESPN assessed the Top 15 freshmen in college football right now ($), and one Tiger made that list.

Clemson signed three prospects with consensus Top 60 ratings and two have made starts, but it's a reserve linebacker who made the ranking -- and in the Top 10, at No. 10, with linebacker Sammy Brown.

"With injuries around him, the No. 2 linebacker in the 2024 class, has come on for the Tigers and is currently tied for fourth in tackles with 20. Brown is a productive special teams player but has really flashed at linebacker including two sacks in a win versus Stanford and team leading eight tackles (3.5 for loss) versus NC State," said ESPN contributor Billy Tucker. "Brown has also held up well in coverage with two pass breakups. He's a fast and physical defender who will continue to light up the stat sheet when given the opportunity."

Among Clemson's other freshman standouts, Bryant Wesco is leading the ACC in yards per catch and ranks third nationally (23.8), and he and fellow freshman T.J. Moore are among 26 conference targets with multiple receiving scores going into the second weekend of October.

Clemson faced two prospects on the list already with No. 9 and defensive back KJ Bolden of Georgia and No. 14 and QB CJ Bailey of NC State.

The Tigers will meet No. 4 on the list at the end of the season in Death Valley, with South Carolina edge defender Dylan Stewart.

"The explosive 6-6, 248-pound defender has 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in five contests for Gamecocks," Tucker said. "His movements at his size are rare. The total repertoire has been on display. He's beating tackles off the ball with elite quickness and around the edge with flexibility, and he's going through them with explosive power. The physical comparisons to former South Carolina great Jadeveon Clowney are warranted. Stewart was a five-star ranked right below Colin Simmons on the defensive end rankings."

Louisville running back Isaac Brown rounds out the ranking at No. 15.

"The former four-star and 31st-ranked back in the 2024 class is outperforming the players ranked ahead of him," Tucker said. "Brown has rushed for 362 yards at over 9 yards per carry. Versus nationally ranked teams, Notre Dame and SMU, he tallied 72 and 117 yards respectively. He also has 91 yards in receiving production and has been a solid contributor in the return game. Brown is a change-of-pace, scatback type who has been ideal for this offense, but look for him to become more of an every-down back in the second half of the season."

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