CLEMSON — Playing middle linebacker is not easy. Playing middle linebacker for one of college football’s premiere programs is even harder.

Doing that as a true freshmen makes playing the position harder than that. Do you get the point?

“Credit to offenses, as you have seen more and more the last few years where offenses are evolving more into motion shifts, pre-snap eye candy. Every week is a new game plan,” Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said. “Most of the time, what you prepare for in a week isn’t what you typically see in a game. I feel like offensive football has evolved from that standpoint.”

And from that standpoint it has made it harder and harder for a true freshman to find his way onto the field as starting linebacker. Such is the case for Clemson’s Sammy Brown who made his first start last week in the Tigers’ win at Virginia Tech.

“I think, outside of quarterback, linebacker is probably the hardest position to play as a young player. There is a lot to process,” Goodwin said.

“But learning is everything, communication. The playbook is a whole new language in and of itself,” he continued. “Certain terms mean one thing, so learning certain verbiage, that is a huge milestone itself. Then you got to get the call, get lined up, set the front as a linebacker. Then get in my stance, put my eyes on the right things. Then post snap I have to process run-pass in a split second. What is my run fit? Where is my help on this coverage? Alright, there is a pressure on this one, where is my run fit or whatever it is?”

These are things going through every linebacker’s mind on any given play in college football. Things are happening fast and that is part of the reason why it took Brown so long to get on the field more consistently this season.

“You could see early on he was just processing things and got to see it and those kinds of things in real time and getting those reps,” Goodwin said. “Every week he is getting better and better and obviously the sky is the limit for him.”

Brown got his first start at Virginia Tech last week, a game in which he led the Tigers with eight tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack. Though last week was his first start, he has played in nine games this year, and leads the Tigers with nine tackles for loss and is second on the team with four sacks.

Overall, he has 37 tackles, fifth on the team. Not bad for a true freshman.

“He is flying around. He is being productive and loves to play the game,” Goodwin said. “He loves the process. He loves football. He shows up every day with the right mindset.

“I have seen a guy gain his confidence on a week-by-week basis. The game is starting to slow down for him.”

And as it does, Brown helps the Clemson defense get better and better.

“It is a credit to who he is as a young man, his habits and his love for the game of football,” Goodwin said.