Though Sammy Brown looked good in Clemson’s Spring Game on April 6, it was not indictive of the type of overall spring the true freshman had.

Brown, a consensus top 30 recruit coming out of high school, was one of the Tigers’ top prospects in the 2024 recruiting class. The former five-star enrolled at Clemson in January and going through spring drills proved to be a good thing for him.

“He is a guy that is very committed, very mature, but honestly, he struggled a little this spring,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Monday on ACC PM.  “Playing middle linebacker is like playing quarterback. That is a really, really tough position, so if you really know anything about him, he played every snap playing running back and linebacker (in high school).

“So, his learning curve was a little steeper in what we were asking him to do. I think he took advantage of it, and he got better and better and better throughout the spring.”

Brown capped the spring with a great performance in the Orange & White Spring Game. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound freshman tied a team-best with eight tackles, while also producing a sack.

“He is an easy guy to notice because he can run and he is as strong as an ox,” Swinney said. “This guy is a state wrestling champ, weightlifting champ, played every snap at running back and linebacker. He is just a great football player.”

The good news for Brown and the Tigers is that he does not have to come in and be the guy right away. There are a couple of All-ACC and All-American candidates in front of him that will allow him time to grow as a college football player.

“Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz, it will be hard to find two better players in the country. They are special players and that is good for Sammy to have some guys to learn from,” Swinney said.

Listed as the nation’s best linebacker by ESPN, many expect Brown to come in and contribute this season on a Clemson defense that ranked in the top 10 nationally in many categories. After what he saw this spring, Swinney agrees.

“Sammy showed he will be able to help us,” the Clemson head coach said.

The Tigers open the season on Aug. 31 against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.