Rising junior linebacker Sammy Brown was asked about Clemson’s quarterback room ahead of the 2026 South Carolina Football Hall of Fame ceremony Thursday in Greenville, S.C.

The Jefferson, Ga., native, sometimes called the quarterback of Clemson’s defense, attended the ceremony to receive the Blanchard-Rogers Trophy, presented to the “most outstanding college football player with ties to South Carolina.”

Before receiving his award at the Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C., Brown had strong praise for the offensive leaders he faces in daily practices. 

“I think there’s a lot of competition,” Brown said of the quarterback room. “I think that all the quarterbacks in that room are really great and I think that they just continue to push each other each and every day.”

Brown went up against signal-caller Christopher Vizzina, currently in the “pole position” for the starting job in 2026, each day in the spring. After notching five sacks and six quarterback pressures last year, and as a former Butkus Award winner, Brown understands how quarterbacks think, and what makes them dominant.

“I think CV (Vizzina) is the leader,” he said. “He’s the leader of the room because he’s a senior, but I just feel like those younger guys are just coming along and I feel like it’s like a triangle, like they’re just pushing, pushing, pushing up to the top.” 

One of these younger quarterbacks is freshman Tait Reynolds, who head coach Dabo Swinney deemed the clear No. 2 after Vizzina in the current competition. Brown also got to face off against the Queen Creek, Ariz., native frequently this spring, as Reynolds got reps with the starters in practice and in the annual Orange & White Spring Game. 

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Reynolds has a similar frame to Brown, two years his senior, entering his first season at Clemson. While in high school just four months ago, Reynolds weighed in as the biggest quarterback in the room upon his arrival in the Upstate.

“He’s really, really good,” Brown said of the 18-year old. “He looks like a linebacker playing quarterback, but he’s really good. He can put some zip on the ball. I’m excited to see him continue to develop.”

Brown will get his next chance to face off against Reynolds, Vizzina, and the other Clemson quarterbacks this summer during player-led workouts, and will get to cheer them on from the sidelines for the first time in the Tigers’ season-opener at LSU on Sept. 5.