CLEMSON — Newly named ACC linebacker of the week Sammy Brown carries himself with a calm confidence, a kind he’s learned from the realization of knowing that this season and football are only one chapter in his much larger story.

Brown believes that he and his teammates will face much harder challenges than the trajectory of this season and what it has thrown at them.

All year long, he has been a steady player in the defensive unit that has struggled to find consistency, never being hesitant to put his body on the line for his team.

Statistically, he has put up a great year for himself. Brown sits at 78 total tackles and is on the verge of passing his 80 total from last season.

He wants to finish. And that’s what his focus is for the rest of the season.

“The biggest thing is to finish strong,” he said. “I think we’ve built some momentum over the past couple of weeks. I think just building off that momentum and just continuing to get better each week and each day will just set us up for a great finish.”

This season hasn’t gone as expected for Clemson’s defense. Complementary football has been hard to come by, and while the offense has stepped up in the back half of the season, the defense has often been left searching for answers.

Defensive coordinator Tom Allen delivered a blunt message going into the final stretch:

“Nobody’s coming to save us.”

That message resonated deeply with the sophomore. He understands that the only way to move forward is with full force and determination to finish.

“There’s going to be a lot of things in our life that are going to be a lot harder than how this season has gone.”

This moment, this adversity, is preparation for him.

“Being able to fight for them is going to set me up in life for when I face something that’s going to be a lot harder.”

Throughout a season of ups and downs, Brown has learned a lot about himself and facing adversity. The mental and emotional growth is just another positive that can resonate with him from this season.

“I learned how to dig deep,” he said. “I really learned how to go inwards of myself and find things that I didn’t know I would have to find at the beginning of the year.”

Despite the setbacks, disappointments, and the fact that this season didn’t live up to the expectations, Brown somehow still finds the good.

“In a lot of ways, it’s been a really good year.”

And in many ways it has. The lessons he’s learned from adversity last far longer than any win or loss. Brown knows that, and that’s why he is emerging as not only a strong player for this Clemson team but also a strong leader.

Photo by Bart Boatwright