Jefferson 5-star recruit Sammy Brown commits to Clemson over Georgia football
One of the highest-ranked Athens-area high school recruits in history committed to Clemson on Monday instead of Georgia football.
Jefferson High star linebacker/running back Sammy Brown, the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, announced his decision via a social media post that started with, "IM HOME!!!"
"I've taken dozens of visits to great campuses across the country, spent many nights in conversation, and watched some incredible football games along the way," the post said. "To all of you that have shared your lives with me, I am forever grateful and I will always cherish the opportunities you afforded me."
Despite battling an ankle injury early in his junior season, Brown finished with 1,459 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns while hauling in 246 yards receiving and two scores. The Region 8-5A Player of the Year led the Dragons' defense with 113 tackles, three pass deflections, an interception and a sack. Jefferson won Region 8-5A and reached the first round of the playoffs.
Sammy Brown commits to Clemson Tigers over Georgia football
Brown's list of finalists also included Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
"To choose one school from among the final 5 was a nearly impossible task as they are all top notch programs headed by incredible men," Brown wrote.
Brown took numerous visits to colleges, including a 2022 summer tour that included trips to Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. Brown previously traveled to Charlotte in 2021 to watch Georgia and Clemson kick off the season.
“This was the first game I’d gone to where these teams have recruited me and I could be in this position later on,” Brown told the Banner-Herald after the Bulldogs beat the Tigers 10-3. “It’s really just kind of surreal because you don’t think as a high schooler about college until you’re like a junior or senior. Being in this position as a sophomore is surreal, seeing players on the field and thinking that could be me in a couple of years.”
After transferring to Jefferson, Brown's sophomore season was cut short to just seven games due to a leg injury. He finished the campaign with 753 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns and 34 tackles. Brown began his high school career at Commerce High, where his father Michael Brown led the program. Sammy Brown finished his freshman season with 1,368 yards rushing, 181 yards receiving, 18 total touchdowns and 36.5 tackles.
Having already secured Jefferson five-star safety Malachi Starks in the 2022 recruiting cycle, Kirby Smart and his Georgia staff made Brown a priority, too. Not long after the Bulldogs won the 2021 national championship, Smart made the short trip to Jefferson to visit Brown — in a helicopter he's famously used to make an impression on recruiting trips.
“It really shows how important I am to him,” Brown said of Smart’s visit. “It shows how much he really wants me. It was kind of surreal to see him fly in and land.”
In recent months, however, many recruiting analysts pointed to Clemson as the favorite. Despite Georgia's back-to-back national titles and Starks already a star on defense, Brown chose instead to make a verbal pledge to leave the state of Georgia to play at the college level.
"My family spent many months in prayer, seeking God's will for my life," Brown's announcement said. "With that being said, I know God's plan for my life takes me to Clemson, South!!"
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Jefferson's Sammy Brown commits to Clemson over Georgia football
