The Clemson Tigers head into their primetime season opener against the LSU Tigers on Saturday night in Baton Rouge’s version of Death Valley with 1 of college football’s elite players leading their defense in junior inside linebacker Sammy Brown.
Brown, 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, projects as a 1st-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft and has established himself as 1 of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s most beloved players.
“Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on junior LB Sammy Brown: ‘I don’t know if I’ll coach another one like Sammy Brown. He checks every box … and he’s a 4.0 student. I’m just glad he’s a Tiger.’ Brown’s a preseason All-ACC first team pick and 2027 NFL Draft prospect,” Clemson reporter Chapel Fowler wrote on their official X account on September 1.
Here’s everything you need to know about Clemson’s show-stopping defender.
Mock Draft Sends Sammy Brown to AFC Contender
Pro Football Network’s latest mock draft has the Denver Broncos using their 2027 1st-round pick (No. 20 overall) on Brown, who would theoretically join 1 of the NFL’s elite defenses, and 1 where they’ve been lacking a superstar at the position in recent years.
From PFN: “Sammy Brown is the exact type of player that the Denver Broncos go after and get the most out of. He is a game-changer, combining speed and physicality to be impactful against both the pass and the run. Denver continues to be stout on both sides of the ball, but with how they build defensive talent and control their environment, I think Brown could become a household name.”
From Elite Prep Recruit to Elite NFL Prospect
Brown was a 5-star recruit coming out of Jefferson (Georgia) High School and the No. 5 overall recruit in the entire nation for the Class of 2024. Brown’s father, former Furman running back Mark Brown, was his head coach in high school.
The recruiting battle for Brown got pretty intense.
“From a combination of size, strength and speed in the 2024 recruiting class, there might not be a player on the level of the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Brown, who in addition to being one of the most sought-after football prospects in the country, is also a two-time defending state champion in wrestling that also shines in the spring on the track running as fast as 10.7 in the 100m dash with a 23-foot plus long jump,” former 247Sports recruiting guru Steve Wiltfrong wrote in 2023.
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins compared Brown to longtime NFL linebacker Myles Jack when he was still in high school and projected him as someone who could “turn heads at the NFL scouting combine one day.”
Brown has been as advertised in his 1st 2 college football seasons at Clemson.
In 14 games as a true freshman in 2024, Brown had 80 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 11.5 sacks, and 3 pass deflections. In 13 games in 2025, Brown had 106 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 13.5 TFL, 5 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
Brown was named ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2024 and earned All-ACC honors in 2025.
Clemson LB Sammy Brown Has NFL Scouts Buzzing Before LSU Showdown