5-star Vols recruiting target Sammy Brown details the role NIL will play in his commitment decision
2024 five-star linebacker Sammy Brown is one of the Tennessee Vols' top recruiting targets. Brown, 6-foot-2/230 lbs from Jefferson, GA, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 linebacker in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia. He's also rated as the No. 5 overall player in the nation. The […]
2024 five-star linebacker Sammy Brown is one of the Tennessee Vols' top recruiting targets.
Brown, 6-foot-2/230 lbs from Jefferson, GA, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 linebacker in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia. He's also rated as the No. 5 overall player in the nation.
The coveted linebacker was in Knoxville this past weekend for Tennessee's "865 Live" recruiting weekend. And he walked away impressed with what he saw from the Vols' coaching staff.
As one of the top recruits in the nation, it goes without saying that Brown could have his pick of lucrative NIL deals.
But that's not what Brown will be basing his college decision on.
The elite recruit told AtoZ Sports on Tuesday at the On 3 NIL elite series in Nashville that while he thinks NIL deals are a good thing, he's putting that talk aside until after he commits.
"There's definitely a lot of factors that go into making a college decision and even [with] NIL, there's a lot of stuff that goes into it," said Brown. "But I've kind of tried to put NIL away to the side until I really make a decision because, you know, it's really not that important to make a decision based off money. So that's kind of a byproduct. I'm gonna make my decision off of football and what place is going to develop me the best. And then NIL comes in after I commit."
Brown also told AtoZ Sports that Tennessee mentioned NIL during his recent official visit, but they didn't go extremely in-depth about potential NIL deals.
"They talked about it a little bit," explained Brown. "Tennessee actually talked about it the most on my official [visit], so I'm assuming that you know, on the officials they'll (the other programs Brown is visiting) talk about it a little bit more, but I haven't really asked about it a whole bunch. So they haven't really told me about it a whole lot."
Brown also noted that he thinks NIL deals are great for college athletes if they're done the "right way".
Elite recruits like Brown know that if they play at a high level on Saturdays in the fall, then they'll reap the financial rewards that NIL has to offer. That's why programs, in most cases, can't "buy" elite recruits. Ultimately, players like Brown want to go to a program where they can compete for a championship and improve their odds of reaching the NFL (which is why it was important that Tennessee had five players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft).
For now, Clemson and Georiga are viewed as the favorites to land Brown, but it sounds like Tennessee improved their chances during Brown's most recent visit to Rocky Top.
