Sammy Brown Says Clemson Defense Has Found Its Brotherhood Heading Into 2026

Clemson football has seen a perspective change in the 2026 offseason, and nobody has seen it more than junior linebacker Sammy Brown. 

Ahead of receiving his Blanchard-Rogers trophy, given to the most outstanding player in the state of South Carolina in college football, Brown spoke to the media and added his thoughts about the spring camp experience over the last several months. 

Immediately, something that he saw change has been the relationships that everybody on the defense has made, calling it much more close-knit than last season. 

“I feel like the biggest thing that I took from this spring is that we’ve got a really good brotherhood,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s been a lot of competition in the spring, but I feel like through that competition, we’ve grown really close as a team. 

Especially with these relationships growing before the academic semester ends, it’s optimistic for Brown. The linebacker will look to lead these connections heading into the summer, where it matters even more. 

“I feel like, not even just as position groups, like me being closer with the linebackers,” he said. “I feel like as a whole unit on defense, we are really, really close, and I feel like through that brotherhood, we’re going to be able to roll that into the summer, into fall camp.”

Another thing that changed was his relationship with second-year linebacker coach Ben Bouleware. Brown said that the former Clemson standout has become more of a mentor to him instead of a coach, and rightfully so. The position coach has every linebacker know each position within the group, allowing more flexibility among the group. 

Brown thinks going to allow him and his teammates to thrive in 2026. 

​“I feel like the whole backer room has just taken a huge step this spring in the second year of the defense,” he said. “Just understand not just what you’re doing, but why you’re doing it and what the guy to your left and right is doing. I feel like we’ve taken a really big step in doing that.”

As for overarching themes that the Commerce, Georgia native is taking into the new season, it’s about the results. Despite a strong 2025 season, the Tigers finished with a 7-6 record, one of the worst seasons under head coach Dabo Swinney. Brown played in the heart of the defense, but his efforts weren’t enough to meet the high expectations that Clemson had. 

“I feel like the biggest thing that collectively, I and a couple of other teammates, have learned is, like, you can work really hard, and you can do everything right and it still won’t go your way. I feel like last year was the hardest that I ever worked, and it’s not the result we wanted.”

Now, that motivation for both he and his teammates, going into the summer and a 2026 season with a lot more to prove, doing so by “being intentional”.

“So, all that tells me is that I’ve got to work harder this year and we’ve got to work harder this year as a team and doing extra stuff, coming in on Saturdays, doing extra stuff after practice, just being able to do more to set the bar even higher,” Brown said.