Clemson Tigers News: Sammy Brown, Elyjah Thurmon

Scoreboard

Clemson Softball 8, Charlotte 5: The Tigers secure a true road victory against the 49ers in Charlotte. Maddie Moore and Arielle Oda both hit two-run homers and had 3 RBIs each to lead the Tigers at the plate. Brooke McCubbin picked up the victory for Clemson.

This game marks the end of Clemson’s early schedule away from home. They open their home schedule against the Ole Miss Rebels this Friday at 4:00 PM.

Clemson Men’s Basketball 81, Georgia Tech 57: Clemson took an early lead and never let the Yellow Jackets get closer than six points after that. Read the recap here.

Today’s Events

Clemson Men’s Tennis vs Furman Paladins: 12:00 PM at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility

Clemson Men’s Tennis vs Wofford Terriers: 5:00 PM at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility

Clemson Women’s Basketball at Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 7:00 PM in South Bend, Indiana

Clemson Track and Field begins competition at the ACC Indoor Championships

Two freshman Tigers are expected to make an impact this fall

247Sports released a list of the incoming freshmen that they think can make an impact in this upcoming 2024 college football season. They have included both Sammy Brown and Elyjah Thurmon on their list.

Writer Chris Hummer says this of Brown:

"Few recruits are more physically ready to play on the college level than Brown. A 6-foot-2, 230-pound freakshow of an athlete, Brown should step in right away and compete for playing time. He's got excellent instincts and is as physical as they come. Expect him to, at worst, be an excellent special teams player in 2024."

- Chris Hummer

Hummer acknowledges the presence of both Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz. He believes snaps will be available due to the exit of Jeremiah Trotter. It is unknown if Hummer is familiar with Clemson’s current scheme which tends to lean toward using two linebackers instead of three, but he is correct that Brown’s natural abilities will put him in the mix regardless of how many linebackers see the field.

Of Thurmon, Hummer says:

"Thurmon comes with tackle and guard flexibility and, given the Tigers' struggles to find a consistent presence at guard this past year alongside Marcus Tate, it's possible that Thurman pushes for a starting spot from the jump. At worst, he projects as someone who can help immediately in the two deep."

- Chris Hummer

This is a fair evaluation, but it should be noted that Walker Parks returns this season, and he is the presumptive starting right guard. It was his absence that led to the instability because there wasn’t a reliable and experienced backup. The experienced backup was unreliable, and the reliable backup was inexperienced.