CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer – a former All-American at Texas and first-round NFL Draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 1995 – recently released his final Top 150 ranking of the players who defined the 2025 college football season.

As Brockermeyer put it, his list is “a full accounting of the most impactful, dominant and indispensable players in college football, from preseason expectations to postseason reality.”

“This list isn’t about draft stock or the box score. It’s about production, consistency, context and how much a player mattered to his team,” Brockermeyer wrote.

With that said, one Clemson player – star sophomore linebacker Sammy Brown – made Brockermeyer’s top 150 players of 2025 ranking.

Brown checked in at No. 98.

“Brown was not the Clemson defender many expected to headline the unit, but he was its most consistent performer,” Brockermeyer wrote. “He finished the season with 91 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and one interception. Brown shows good range and enough athleticism to successfully spy mobile quarterbacks.”

Brown was named a first-team All-ACC selection by both the league and the AP in 2025. He and the Tigers (7-5) will conclude the 2025 campaign against Penn State (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Dec. 27 (noon, ABC).

A High school Butkus Award winner and former five-star prospect, Brown joined Clemson in its 2024 recruiting class and earned Freshman All-America honors from nearly every presenting outlet in 2024, when he also earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder tallied 87 tackles (11.5 for loss), five sacks and four pass breakups over 14 games in his freshman season.