5-star LB Sammy Brown commits to Clemson: 'It's one of the best cultures in college football'

Jefferson (Ga.) five-star linebacker Sammy Brown had a good feeling about Clemson the first time he ever stepped on campus. That first visit’s led to many since and he leaves every time feeling better and better about the Tigers.

Brown was set to return to Clemson over the weekend for an official visit and brought his poker chip with him just in case.

That decision turned out to be the right one as he handed it to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney signaling his commitment to the Tigers over Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

“Since Junior Day on and off I kind of had a feeling about Clemson that it’s a good spot and a good fit for me,” Brown told On3. “There’s a lot of great things for me as a player and person. I brought the chip with me just in case, I prayed about it all week and I woke up Saturday and throughout the day I felt like it all clicked and came together.

“I felt that at the end of the day God had put his will into my heart and that was the place.”

Everything seemed to really click for Brown during the official.

He says he connected more with players like the Woodaz brothers (Drew Woodaz and Wade Woodaz) and had a blast doing karaoke at Dabo Swinney’s house one night with the coaches and players.

From the karaoke, to the meetings and everything in-between, Brown said the family culture built by Swinney at Clemson was one of the biggest factors in his decision.

“It’s one of the best cultures in college football,” Brown said. “They’re doing things the right thing and as long as Coach Swinney and that staff are there, they’re going to continue doing things the right way. From the bottom to the top, everyone wants to be there, everyone enjoys being there and it’s just a great spot to be at.”

Why Clemson won out for Brown and building the Tigers 2024 class

For a majority of his recruitment it looked like Brown’s decision would come down to either Clemson or Georgia.

Living not too far from Athens, he had visited the Bulldogs several time. Just like Clemson, each visit left a lasting, positive impression on him.

Brown noted that any of the schools he listed at his top would have been great landing spots for him. Making the decision to commit to Clemson was easy but he said telling each of the opposing coaches he wouldn’t be going to their school was the hardest part of the weekend.

He feared that each coach would express displeasure in his decision. Instead, he got the opposite.

“Every single one of them, head coach and position coach, was 100% supportive of me congratulating me, supporting me and telling me that they want to see me succeed,” Brown said. That speaks volumes of all the programs I was considering and speaks volumes on the way their doing things and the coaches there. Those are all great programs and I don’t think there was a wrong answer.

“The biggest thing between Georgia and Clemson was God’s will. It could have been that Georgia was the best spot but God’s will was for me to go to Clemson so that was the biggest difference. They’re both great spots and I don’t think there was any wrong answer in this recruitment process.”

Now with his commitment out of the way, Brown is focused on building up Clemson’s 2024 class. That’s a job he says is already well on its way.

“This 2024 class we’re going to have might be one of the best classes in history,” Brown said. “The domino effect has already begun. Because of me committing, there’s going to be others over the next couple of days and weeks. This class is going to be really good.”