Nation's No. 1 linebacker knew he wanted to be a Tiger during weekend visit

Brown is the nation's No. 1 linebacker and No. 5 overall player and his official visit cemented Clemson as the place to be.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Jun 05 18:11:07 GMT-04:00 2023

When you know, you know.

Five-star linebacker Sammy Brown was taking in all of Saturday’s festivities during Clemson’s big junior weekend when he knew – Clemson was the place he wanted to call home and play college football.

Brown is a 6-2, 230-pound 2024 linebacker out of Jefferson (GA) who has offers from all of the usual suspects that play big-time football – Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Southern Cal, and Notre Dame among others. He announced his commitment to Clemson late Monday afternoon after being a part of the Tigers’ big recruiting weekend.

According to 247Sports, Brown ranks as the No. 1 linebacker and No. 5 overall player in the class. He visited the Tennessee last weekend and had weekend visits scheduled to Georgia (June 9), Oklahoma (June 16) and Ohio State (June 23) on deck. But those visits are off the table because Brown has found a home.

“I had a great time just connecting with the coaches and players and really the commits, too,” Brown told TigerNet earlier Monday. “The reason I committed is because I felt it was God’s will to go to Clemson. Something about this weekend just made it click that Clemson was the place.”

It was later in the day when Brown realized it was useless to wait any longer.

“I talked to my parents about it Saturday evening, which is when I kinda knew,” Brown said. “They were very happy for me because they know Clemson is a great place.”

Brown had a final five of Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Ohio St. But he said that Clemson was where he needs to be and he has already informed the schools about his decision.

“I think any of the other four schools would have been a great choice,” Brown said. “They were all good to me and were very positive of my decision. A lot of congratulations and whatnot. But I think what made Clemson the choice was nothing short of God’s will.”

Once the decision was made, Brown gathered with the Clemson staff in head coach Dabo Swinney’s office.

“I told the whole staff in Coach Swinney’s office,” Brown said. “I am pretty sure Coach Swinney jumped on the table in celebration.”

Brown is the ninth commitment for the Tigers in the 2024 recruiting class, and the sixth defender, joining linebacker Drew Woodaz, defensive lineman Champ Thompson, cornerback Tavoy Feagin, safety Noah Dixon, and defensive lineman Hevin Brown-Shuler.