Dabo Swinney stuck his neck out to give the prospect an offer several months before he told others that doors would open for their class.
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The risk has reaped the desired reward.
Jefferson (Ga.) high-four star linebacker Sammy Brown announced his commitment to Clemson on Monday. Brown had been a projection to Clemson by Tigerillustrated.com.
Brown (6-2, 220), ranked No. 23 nationally by Rivals.com, held offers from all the national and regional programs commensurate to his recruiting profile.
Ohio State, Tennessee and Oklahoma were included in his finalists, and Alabama also pursued.
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But Brown notably picked the Tigers over reigning national champions Georgia, which has tended to get the ones it has wanted in his neighborhood and their backyard.
His talent and football fit alone make his acquisition cause for celebration.
Clemson's two inside linebackers, juniors Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter Jr., both are being bandied about as potential early NFL Draft entrants based on their production. With only five scholarship linebackers returning, and one proven commodity among them, the opportunity is ripe for a higher-upside candidate.
Brown is an accomplished multi-sport athlete who won the 400-meter race in the state's 1A classification while finishing fourth in the 200. He's also a two-time defending state champion in wrestling.
Yet winning the Brown sweepstakes accounts means so much more for Clemson.
It's a signature recruiting triumph for defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, who has carried the lead since replacing Brent Venables.
Brown began competing at the Dabo Swinney Camp in late elementary school, and the relationships developed over time culminated in Swinney making him the first offer for the 2024 cycle -- picking up the offer in March 2023, three months before offers for his class otherwise began being formalized.
His connections to Clemson tie into relationships forged when several staffers were at Furman while Brown's parents were students at the school.
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Brown is well-known among in-state peers as well as in national circles, and a recruiting victory of this magnitude is substantial for the buzz and momentum generated as the pivotal stretch of summer official visits and recruiting gets underway.
He is the first big strike coming out of Clemson's official visit this past weekend, running the Tigers' overall total to nine commitments.
Re-concentrating efforts in the state of Georgia last cycle delivered 11 Peach State signees.
That trend has continued as five of the Tigers' nine pledges hail from Georgia, including five of the last six acquisitions.
The last guy with famous hair Clemson signed out of Georgia -- Trevor Lawrence -- turned out pretty good.
Swinney has long considered Brown the potential Lawrence for his defense.
CLEMSON's 2023 PUBLIC COMMITMENTS
1. (DB) Tavoy Feagin - Tampa, Fla.
2. (K) Nolan Hauser - Cornleius, N.C.
3. (TE) Christian Bentancur - Woodstock, Ill.
4. (DL) Champ Thompson - Norcross, Ga.
5. (DB) Noah Dixon - LaGrange, Ga.
6. (RB) David Eziomume - Kennesaw, Ga.
7. (LB) Drew Woodaz - Tampa, Fla.
8. (DL) Hevin Brown-Shuler - Atlanta, Ga.
9. (LB) Sammy Brown - Jefferson, Ga.
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