Sean Brown focused on building his 'own legacy' at linebacker
Sean Brown said NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson “trolled” him throughout the 2023 season. The Wolfpack linebackers caoch told the hard-hitting safety that he was going to move him to his position group.
Against Clemson, Brown even played one drive in Payton Wilson’s place and made 5 tackles in that role. He knew an offseason position change was likely on the way this winter and embraced the move after talking through the decision.
“I talked to [head coach Dave Doeren] and Gibby, and they felt like it was the best decision for me,” Brown said. “Talking to my family, they felt it was the best decision for me too.”
The Wolfpack linebacker spent this offseason bulking up. He already spent a lot of time in the box with his previous role, playing 197 snaps there during the 2023 season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Brown hits hard, flies to the ball and added some more muscle over the past few months to help with the position switch.
After playing at 207 pounds last year, the linebacker said he now weighs around 215. In addition to the physical adjustments, he is also relying on his teammates to help him make the mental and technical jump into his new role.
Brown spends time with redshirt junior Caden Fordham and senior Devon Betty repping linebacker drills. He also reached out to Wilson.
“During the offseason, I went back and watched Payton’s film, just to see what he did good, and I hit him up and talked about what the keys are to be a good WILL linebacker,” Brown said.
Wilson told him he needs to play fast. The Wolfpack upperclassman will not have time to hesitate and needs to be quick on his feet. Brown recorded a career-best 66 total tackles last fall— the third-best mark on the team.
The redshirt junior missed 4 total tackle attempts last year and recorded 16 PFF stops, which are “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense.” In coverage, he gave up 25 receptions on 40 targets, including 4 touchdowns.
Brown is looking forward to the position switch because he will spend even more time in the box.
“When they told me they were planning on moving me to linebacker, to me personally, I felt like it was going to be easier for me since I’m closer to the line of scrimmage, and I don’t have to do as much covering as I did at safety,” Brown said.
His move into the Wolfpack’s front six opens up some playing time at safety. Auburn transfer Donovan Kaufman enrolls in the summer to compete for one of those spots but, until then, Brown is looking forward to watching the younger free safeties grow.
He said redshirt freshman defensive back Zack Myers intercepted a pass during the first spring practice and mentioned true freshman Brody Barnhardt as well. Junior Renté Hinton switched positions from cornerback to free safety this year, and he meets with his Wolfpack teammate to learn more about the role.
“I’m kind of excited to see how they do,” Brown said.
Now that his position change is official, the linebacker said he sees the comparisons to Germaine Pratt on social media. Pratt, who now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, began his Wolfpack career at safety before moving to linebacker and developing into an NFL draft pick.
Brown is familiar with his story, but the linebacker is focused on his own path to stardom.
“I just want to be Sean Brown,” he said. “I want to be my own guy. I want to build my own legacy.”
