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In a season that began with national championship chatter and ended with unanswered questions, Sammy Brown stood as one of Clemson’s few constants.
The sophomore linebacker finished the year as the Tigers’ leading tackler (106 tackles) and capped the season with 15 in a 22–10 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. It wasn’t enough to slow Penn State late, as the Nittany Lions scored 16 fourth-quarter points and totaled 397 yards, turning a competitive game into a frustrating finish for a Clemson team that closed the year 7-6.
Afterward, Brown, a First-team All-ACC selection, credited Penn State for making more plays and said the defense, offense, and special teams weren’t in sync on a night that was “just one of them days,” and a season that felt like “one of them years.”
A 2024 Freshman All-American and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Brown also spoke candidly about growth developed through disappointment and deeper than statistics.
“I’ve learned so much, not only about football, but about myself in life, and so many life lessons that I can apply to my life, and transforming from being a teenager into being adult, and just how to deal with tough times and how to make friendships,” he stated after the game. “And there’s just so much that I can give credit to this season. It’s not all bad can come from having a bad season.”
That perspective will be critical as Clemson looks ahead. Brown is expected to be one of the program’s cornerstone returners and a leader starting this January when the early enrollees arrive, a role he already embraces without hesitation.
“Go even harder,” Brown said of what leadership requires moving forward. “What we did this year was obviously not enough. So, coming back next year, we’ve got a bar that we’ve set, and we’ve got to press that bar even higher.”
The path back to championship contention, in Brown’s view, is rooted in mindset as much as talent. Confidence must be rebuilt, but it has to be backed by action.
“I think it’s a mindset,” he said. “I think a lot of it comes from confidence and knowing that we can do it, and we’ve got the guys in the locker room to do it. But, at the end of the day, you actually have to go out there, perform, and make the plays.”
That belief is deeply personal for Brown. A Commerce, Georgia native, he attended Clemson camps dating back to his elementary school days, long before wearing the orange and white became reality. After committing in 2023, he called the opportunity to join the program “a blessing,” a sentiment that hasn’t faded despite the disappointment of the season’s ending.
“So to be able to even put on the Paw in the first place, but not only that, to go out and be able to play a game that I love, it’s just such a blessing,” Brown said Saturday evening. “I can’t be thankful to God enough. It’s something that I don’t give thanks for enough. I have the opportunity to play for the Clemson Tigers every single day, and that is just an incredible blessing, no matter what the outcome in the game is.”
Losses weigh heavily on a fan base accustomed to championships, but players feel them even more acutely. Brown’s response captured the maturity Clemson hopes will define its locker room moving forward.
“I think a lot of life is about perspective,” he said. “I think that the lens that you look through life through, it determines your outlook on life. I think that having a positive outlook on life and looking through everything through the positive view, can help to develop confidence and self-confidence in yourself.”
Clemson’s season ended far from where it hoped to be, but in Brown, the Tigers have a leader shaped by adversity, grounded in gratitude, and determined to raise the standard again.
