Dabo Swinney may not want to name any Clemson starters just yet, but who are we kidding when it comes to junior linebacker Sammy Brown? Along with junior cornerback Ashton Hampton, Brown is the best player on Tom Allen's defense. For Clemson to achieve all it can this year, Swinney and Allen need to put their trust and faith in their superstar linebacker to be a difference-maker and a leader.
ESPN tabbed Brown as a First-Team All-American coming into the season. He was the only Clemson player to make either preseason All-American team. That speaks volumes. Not only does it show Clemson's roster being in a state of transition, but it also proves who the Tigers need to lean on when the going gets tough. Brown was picked to represent Clemson at ACC Media Days for a reason.
Frankly, Brown is the player Allen needs to empower to get the Tigers out of their rut. Clemson is counting on him to deliver for them. He may project as a top-40 pick next spring, but Brown will not want his college career to end as many of his former teammates did a year ago. Not only does Brown have a chance to elevate his draft stock, but he can become the ideal leader that this defense needs.
Although football is every bit the team sport, a team's best players still have to rise to the occasion.
Sammy Brown could be the catalyst to get Clemson back to Charlotte
As far as personal success is concerned, here is what it may look like for Brown ahead of what could be his final college season. If everything goes according to plan, Brown should be an all-conference performer and an All-American up for any number of awards on the defensive side of the ball. This may propel him into first-round conversations, despite playing a position that the NFL has devalued.
While this is great and all, Brown would probably prefer for team success to come first. What should be the goals for Clemson this season? It starts by getting back to Charlotte, winning the ACC Championship, making the College Football Playoff, and going from there. If Clemson finishes the season as a top-12 team in the country, that would be a huge step in the right direction for the Tigers.
More so than anything, that is what could get Brown drafted inside the top 32. He was every bit the five-star recruit coming out of Commerce, Ga. Brown could have gone anywhere, but he chose Clemson. Assuming he tests well at the Combine and performs up to standard at his pro day, he will not fall out of the top 45. What could be the biggest draft boost for Brown is his on-field leadership.
For Allen to get the most out of his defense in year three on the job, he has to allow Brown to fully direct traffic in the middle of everything. This team may be "a bunch of nobodies", but Brown can be the catalyst to turn this defense into somebodies and get back to Charlotte. Whether Clemson faces Miami, Louisville, SMU, or whomever, they would be one game away from reaching the playoffs again.
Clemson has had players as talented as Brown before, but the Tigers have never needed one to be singularly great on defense quite like this either. Brown may have immense pressure being placed upon him, but it looks like he is built for it. He is a fun and productive player, one that has been easy to root for from afar. If Clemson has a second crest under Swinney, it will be because of guys like Brown.
On and off the field, no Clemson defender can be as impactful this season than its star linebacker.
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