CHARLOTTE – Sammy Brown came to Clemson to win championships.

It’s something Brown reiterated all throughout his recruiting process and the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year did it in his first season. He told The Clemson Insider that he’s “one of one” on championship seasons even though the job is far from done in 2024.

For what must’ve felt like an eternity in the last minute of the ACC Championship, that fate was in question as SMU stormed back. Brown never wavered and knew tbe Tigers would finish the job.

“Incredibly humbling, God has a plan for all of us. God has a plan for this team and I was just at peace, there was never a doubt in my mind that we were going to go out there and win that game,” Brown said.

If anyone knew kicker Nolan Hauser would go out and drill a 56-yard field goal to etch himself into Clemson lore and extend the Tigers’ title hopes, it was Brown. The two are roommates and that’s just the type of thing Brown expects from the Charlotte native.

“I’ve been with him since the bowl game last year and we’ve just done life together. There was never a doubt in my mind that he was going to go out there and he was going to hit that kick,” Brown said.

While it wasn’t pretty, the Clemson defense held its ground against the Mustangs for a majority of the contest. Taking on the No. 5 scoring offense, the Tigers forced two turnovers and Brown was a key piece of the puzzle.

He lead the game with 14 tackles and commanded the center of Wes Goodwin’s defense. It was a career-high for Brown, who has watched his role steadily increase as a true freshman.

“We were able to bend not break and that’s exactly what we did, we were able to hold them to a couple field goals. That was huge, I was really proud of us, our red zone defense, we were able to do some really good things down there,” Brown said.

All eyes now look forward to the College Football Playoff as Clemson will travel down to Texas for a spot in the semi-finals.