A member of the Clemson football team has made the 2026 Freaks List.
Standout linebacker Sammy Brown comes in at No. 20 on Bruce Feldman’s list of the Top 101 “Freaks” in college football.
“He’s been as advertised, living up to his lofty recruiting hype. First, he won ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after making 87 tackles, 11.5 TFLs and five sacks. Last year, he led the team with 107 tackles (13.5 for loss) and posted 5.0 sacks, seven pass breakups and an INT. The 6-2, 235-pounder is really strong, squatting 600 pounds, benching 385, broad jumping 10-7 and vertical jumping 38 inches. He ran a blazing 4.41 40. Even more impressive: The aspiring pediatrician, who is majoring in biological sciences, has a 3.86 GPA.” – Bruce Feldman of The Athletic
The former five-star talent is entering his third season with the Tigers and is already getting first-round hype for next year’s NFL Draft.
Brown, who was recently named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watchlist, was named a first-team All-ACC selection by multiple publications after a sophomore campaign that saw him record a team-high 107 tackles, with 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, seven pass breakups, one interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 734 defensive snaps were also a team-high.
As a freshman, Brown was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, along with being named to multiple All-Freshman teams. The linebacker registered 87 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and four pass breakups. He was second on the team in tackles that season.
