Nation's No. 1 linebacker visits for Furman game, loves the Clemson culture

Sammy Brown was on hand to see the Tigers defeat Furman.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Sep 12 12:01:58 GMT-04:00 2022

Sammy Brown woke up on Sept. 1st, the first day that college coaches could reach out to potential 2024 prospects via any form of electronic communication, and saw that he had 115 text messages from coaches across the country, meaning he's one of the most-wanted recruits in the country.

Brown, the nation’s top-ranked 2024 linebacker out of Jefferson (GA), boasts offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Miami, Michigan and many others, but it was Clemson that drew Brown in for a visit this past weekend.

“It was just good to catch up with the coaches. Be able to see all of them in real time again and just talk high school football and whatnot,” Brown told TigerNet. “I thought Coach (Dabo) Swinney and Coach (Wes) Goodwin both had very good pregame speeches to the players. Clemson showed a lot of potential in the game but just never could put it all together which isn’t a bad thing considering a shortened week. I thought the defense played great in the red zone and really bowed their neck when they needed to. I thought what they did for Bryan’s (Bryan Bresee) sister really reveals how much of a family that program is.”

Brown also has a Furman connection – his parents went to Furman.

“My dad played at Furman, too, so a lot of his former teammates were at the game, too,” Brown said. “Some people he hadn’t seen since college so it was definitely cool for him to see all of those people.”

Brown said his conversations with the Clemson coaches are about life and not just about football, something that resonates.

“A lot of what I talk about with them is outside of recruiting,” Brown said. “A lot of high school football and just hobbies and whatnot. They do a good job of not pressuring me with recruiting questions and just building a good relationship.”

He is also a fan of the Clemson culture and how it feels like family.

“Clemson definitely has one of the best cultures in college football. They do things the right way,” Brown said. “It’s got such a family feel from the coaches and players. I’m able to easily talk with coaches and players about anything without hesitation.”

Brown visited Ohio St. for the Buckeyes’ home game Notre Dame to start the season, and said he is taking his visits this season week-by-week. However, he does know that he would to come back to Death Valley for a night game.

“I will probably have a top 10-12 after this season then a Top-5 in the spring,” he said. “Then commit after taking officials. We really don’t have a whole lot else planned, just kind of taking it week by week and seeing what games we can get to. I would definitely love to get to a night game to feel that atmosphere!”