Nation's top linebacker recaps Clemson scrimmage visit, seeing Venables

Sammy Brown was back in town for Clemson practice last week.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Mar 20 07:00:16 GMT-05:00 2023

The nation’s top linebacker for the 2024 recruiting cycle was back in Clemson last week, and this time he took in a scrimmage.

Five-star prospect Sammy Brown (6-3, 235) of Jefferson (GA) is ranked as the No. 1 linebacker and No. 6 overall prospect in the country for the 2024 class by 247Sports, while the 247Sports Composite considers him the No. 1 linebacker and No. 12 overall prospect in his class.

Brown was the first prospect in the 2024 class to receive a Clemson offer, which he picked up as a rising junior back in March 2022. Last week’s visit was just one of the numerous visits to Clemson for Brown, who was also on hand for the Tigers’ elite junior day in late January.

This visit gave Brown the chance to see the Tigers during a scrimmage in Death Valley.

“So we were talking to Coach (Wes) Goodwin, me and my dad, about what day would be best to come watch a practice before they get out for spring break,” Brown said. “And he said that would be the best day because they were scrimmaging. So that's kind of the main reason we went up there.”

What his first takeaway from the scrimmage?

“Man, they get after it. I mean you talk to the coaches outside of football like Coach Goodwin and all them and they're super nice guys, but they get out there, they get after it,” Brown said. “Man, Coach Goodwin, whew, he was hot today (Wednesday). It was pretty funny watching him.”

Freshman defensive lineman Peter Woods and several of the young defenders also caught Brown’s eye.

“I think they really showed out,” he said. “Definitely, Peter Woods and a couple of those other d-linemen proved that they can be a potential four-year starter so they definitely proved their worth today (Wednesday).”

Another Tiger defender made an impression.

“Barrett Carter is very good at playing linebacker,” Brown said. "He’s really fast.”

Brown spent time talking to head coach Dabo Swinney following the scrimmage, and he said the message from the Clemson coaches is now very clear.

“I’ve just been going to Clemson for a long time, and it's always had a family feel to me,” Brown said. “And so they just really persisted on getting me to commit. That's kind of the main message right now, if I'm being totally honest.”

Brown said he has plans to be back for the Elite Retreat in early June.

“I'm going to take my official visits in June and then probably commit sometime in July, so it’s winding down,” he said. “We're going out to Oklahoma the first week of April, and then we're going to Tennessee the weekend of Easter. And that's really all we have planned right now, but I'm sure we 'll go down to Georgia again just because it's 20 minutes down the road.”

Another thing that stood out to Brown was seeing former Clemson defensive coordinator and current Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables at the scrimmage.

“Oh, that was really cool. I didn't even realize that he was there until someone said something,” Brown said. “And I was like, ‘Wait, Coach Venables is here?’ I looked out there, I'm like, ‘There's Brent. What's up, Brent?’ Again, that's kind of the family atmosphere. That definitely shows off the family environment that Clemson has, to have a head coach from another school come back to watch spring practice.”

Brown understands the pull that Venables feels.

“I think it's exactly what I just said. Just that family environment,” Brown said. “When they get on the field, they're going to get after it. It's going to be tough love, and they're going to make sure they push each other on the field, player to player and then player to coach. The family feeling and the love they have for each other is going to translate over onto the field and make them play at their very best.”