Sammy Brown embraces Clemson's leadership mantle while keeping focus on the present

CHARLOTTE — The first time Sammy Brown walked into Clemson's linebacker room, he wasn't expected to be the voice everyone listened to.

That responsibility belonged to Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz.

Brown watched how they handled meetings, communicated on the field and carried themselves as leaders, quietly storing away lessons he hoped would one day apply to his own career.

That day has arrived.

Now entering his junior season, Brown is no longer following veteran linebackers. He's expected to become one, serving as the centerpiece of a Clemson defense replacing several experienced leaders while trying to rebound from a disappointing 7-6 season in 2025.

After leading the Tigers with 107 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and five sacks last season, Brown's role has expanded beyond production. He's now responsible for making sure everyone around him is aligned before the ball is even snapped.

During ACC Kickoff on Thursday, Brown credited the players who came before him for preparing him to handle that responsibility.

"Yeah, I would say this goes back to my freshman year just looking at the linebacker room. We had Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz in there. I think they set the tone and set the example for me coming into this leadership role. So I picked up a lot from both of them on understanding not only what a leader is, but how to be a leader and how to lead not only a linebacker room, but a defense and a team.

Ben Boulware, the former Clemson star, is now the Tigers’ linebacker coach and has become a sounding board as Brown grows into one of the faces of Clemson's defense.

"I give a lot of praise to them. I have talked to Ben multiple times about becoming a leader, and I think Ben is a very good resource to have because he's climbed that mountain before. He's gotten to the top of the mountain. He's a really good resource to have and a really good resource to lean on when it comes to not only being a leader, but playing the linebacker position."

In addition, defensive coordinator Tom Allen has stressed throughout the offseason that communication will be critical for a defense breaking in new leaders, and Brown has embraced that challenge by leaning on coaches and the examples set by former teammates.

But leadership isn't the only adjustment Clemson faces as it enters 2026.

The Tigers are also attempting to move forward after a season that fell well short of the program's expectations. Clemson finished 7-6 last fall, a year filled with close losses and missed opportunities despite finishing among the ACC's better defenses statistically.

Brown said the key isn't pretending last season never happened.

It's learning from it without allowing it to define the next team.

"Yeah, first off, going from last year to this year, I think the biggest thing is that you want to put that in the past. I don't think you want to dwell on that, but at the same time, you don't want to completely forget it because there are many aspects of not only the game of football, but the game of life that you can learn from a season like that last year. How to overcome adversity, how to be a man and face adversity and be able to overcome it. There are a lot of lessons you can learn from last year.

"At the end of the day, we really are focusing this offseason on resetting and, you know, resetting our goals, resetting our standards and learning from last year, but this is a new season, this is a new team."

That mentality will be tested immediately.

Clemson opens the season Sept. 5 with a trip to LSU, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in Tiger Stadium that many expect to be one of the marquee games of opening weekend. It's the type of environment that naturally creates added attention and outside noise.

Brown isn't buying into any of it.

Instead, he views the opener the same way he views every game on the schedule.

"It is a big game, and there's a lot of headlines around it, but at the end of the day, that football game is going to be the exact same football game that you're going to play Week 7. For me, there's not going to be any different kind of preparation or anything like that will go into the game. I'm still going to come in on Monday and really watch tape for two or three hours. Throughout the week, my preparation will be exactly the same."

That answer may say as much about Brown's leadership style as anything else he discussed Thursday.

He's not interested in speeches about revenge for last season or the spectacle surrounding Clemson's opener in Baton Rouge.

His focus remains on consistency.

Learn from the veterans who came before him.

Prepare the same way every week.

Demand the same standard from himself and everyone around him.

For a Clemson defense searching for its next voice, Brown appears comfortable letting his actions—and a steady approach—do most of the talking.