Clemson’s trip to Charlotte for ACC Kickoff put linebacker Sammy Brown in the spotlight Thursday, and the junior didn’t waste the chance to lay out how he sees his role heading into the season.
Brown said his growth as a leader started back in his freshman year, when he watched Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz set the standard in the linebacker room. That example, he said, shaped how he thinks about leading not just a position group, but the entire defense and team.
“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.”
He also pointed to Ben Boulware as someone he has leaned on while taking on more responsibility. Brown said he has spoken with Boulware multiple times about leadership and values him as someone who has already been through that climb.
“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.”
Brown also addressed Clemson’s mindset after last season, saying the Tigers want to take the lessons from it without getting stuck in it. He described last year as a source of lessons about adversity, maturity and responding the right way, but made clear the focus now is on a fresh start.
“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.”
He added that Clemson is treating this offseason as a reset, with new goals, new standards and a new team in front of it.
Brown also touched on the season opener, saying the attention around the matchup doesn’t change how he approaches it. To him, the preparation stays the same no matter the opponent or the stage.
“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 that will go into the game.
I'm still going to come in on Monday and, you know, really watch tape for two or three hours. Throughout the week, my preparation will be the same.”
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