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Christian Sam

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Christian Sam
Personal information
Born: (1996-06-07) June 7, 1996 (age 28)
Allen, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Allen
College:Arizona State
Position:Linebacker
NFL draft:2018 / Round: 6 / Pick: 178
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Christian C. Sam (born June 7, 1996) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State, in 2017 leading the Pac-12 with 127 tackles, while also leading the Pac-12 with 87 solo tackles (4th-most in the NCAA). He has been a member of the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Bandits, New Orleans Breakers, and Arlington Renegades.

Early life

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Sam is a native of Allen, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas, and is of Nigerian descent.[1] His father is Prince Christian Sam and his mother is Veronica, and he is the youngest of four children.[2][3] His brother Prince played cornerback for the Bulldogs football team at Louisiana Tech.[3][4]

Sam attended Allen High School ('14) in Allen, Texas, where he played opposite quarterback Kyler Murray, and led the Allen Eagles football team to the Texas 5A Division I State Championships in 2012 and 2013.[5][6] He was named the Defensive MVP of the 2013 Texas state championship game after tallying 5.5 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble.[6] That season he was also named 10-5A First Team All-District.[7] Rivals.com rated him the No. 27 linebacker recruit in the nation, and almost every major recruiting service considered him a three-star recruit.[6][8]

College career

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Sam committed to play football for the Arizona State Sun Devils in August 2013. He chose the Sun Devils over nearly 20 other schools, including Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas Tech.[8][9] The Sun Devils primarily used him as an inside linebacker, though he did also play snaps as an off-the-line outside linebacker and as an edge rusher.[10]

As a true freshman in 2014, Sam played in all 13 of Arizona State's games. He tallied 16 tackles, one interception, one sack, and one pass deflection.[11]

In 2015, as a sophomore, Sam became a full-time starter and once again appeared in all 13 of the team's games, posting 98 tackles (7th in the Pac-12 Conference; 6.5 for loss), including 68 solo tackles (5th in the Pac-12), one interception, three sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles (6th in the Pac-12).[12][13][6]

Sam suffered a season-ending high right ankle injury in Arizona State's first game of the 2016 season.[14][15][3][16] He elected to take a medical redshirt.

As a redshirt junior in 2017, Sam played in 12 games. He led the Pac-12 with 127 tackles, while also leading the Pac-12 with 87 solo tackles (4th-most in the NCAA).[12] He also tallied one interception, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble.[17] He was named First Team All-League by the Associated Press, and Honorable Mention All-Pac-12.[3] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL draft.[18][14]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m) 		244 lb
(111 kg) 		31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.75 s 1.63 s 2.74 s 4.20 s 7.03 s 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 28 reps
All values from NFL Combine[19][20]

At the NFL Scouting Combine, he had 28 reps in the 225-pound (102-kg) bench press, the most of anyone at the position.[3][21] Sports analyst Lance Zierlein wrote: "he has enough talent to become a solid NFL backup who can step into starting reps if needed."[22] Scouts remarked on his "active athleticism."[23] Coach and ASU defensive coordinator Phil Benett said: "He's definitely an NFL guy ... he's playing with speed, he's playing with physicality. He does multiple skills; he stops the run, he tackles well, he blitzes, and he covers."[14]

New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots selected Sam in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft on April 28, 2018.[24] He left ASU with a year of eligibility remaining, though he had graduated early and already earned his diploma.[3][25]

On September 1, 2018, after playing three preseason games in which he had 12 tackles and an interception, Sam was placed on the team's injured reserve list at the end of preseason during the team's Super Bowl LIII season.[26][27][28] He was part of the team when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.[29] A year later he was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.[30]

Miami Dolphins

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On September 2, 2019, Sam was signed to the practice squad of the Miami Dolphins.[31] He was released on September 11.[32][33]

San Francisco 49ers

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On November 5, 2019, Sam was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.[34] He was released on December 10, 2019.[35]

Detroit Lions

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On December 17, 2019, Sam was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad.[36] On December 30, 2019, Sam was signed to a reserve/future contract.[37] He was waived on August 9, 2020.[38]

Tampa Bay Bandits

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Sam was selected by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL) in the 21st round of the 2022 USFL draft.[39] He was released on June 7, 2022.[40]

New Orleans Breakers

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Sam was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Breakers on the same day, June 7, 2022.[41] He played in nine games for the Breakers, and had 54 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and an interception.[1]

Dallas Cowboys

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On July 8, 2022, Sam signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[42] He was waived/injured on August 23, 2022, and placed on injured reserve.[43] He was released on August 25.

Arlington Renegades

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On December 8, 2023, Sam signed with the Arlington Renegades of the XFL.[44] He was placed on the team's suspended list on March 19, 2024,[45] and waived two days later.[46]

Houston Roughnecks

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On May 14, 2024, Sam was signed by the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL).[47] He was released on July 23, 2024.[48]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ex-USFL linebacker Christian Sam signs deal with Cowboys". FOX Sports. July 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (November 2, 2017). "ASU's Christian Sam leads Pac-12 in tackling but cares more about team success". The Arizona Republic.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Mark Dunphy (April 29, 2018). "5 things to know about Christian Sam, one of the Patriots' newest linebackers". boston.com.
  4. ^ Jacob Janower (October 27, 2017). "Strength through Christ: Christian Sam's faith, family, football". SunDevilSource.com.
  5. ^ Venegas, Tony (January 8, 2018). "Arizona State LB, Former Allen Star Christian Sam Declares For 2018 NFL Draft | Texas HS Football". texashsfootball.com.
  6. ^ a b c d "Christian Sam – Football". Arizona State University Athletics.
  7. ^ "Christian Sam Timeline Events". 247sports.com.
  8. ^ a b Crowley, Kerry (August 1, 2013). "Texas LB Christian Sam Commits to ASU". House of Sparky.
  9. ^ "Christian Sam to ASU: 3-star LB commits to Sun Devils". AZFamily.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  10. ^ Cox, Zack (May 2, 2018). "Christian Sam Film Review: What Can Rookie Linebacker Bring To Patriots?".
  11. ^ "Christian Sam 2014 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Christian Sam College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  13. ^ "Christian Sam 2015 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c "Linebacker Christian Sam to leave Arizona State for NFL Draft". SunDevilSource.com.
  15. ^ Pacleb, Zac (September 6, 2016). "ASU Football: Christian Sam in pads and at practice". House of Sparky.
  16. ^ "Without Christian Sam, ASU not clicking at linebacker". AZCentral.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  17. ^ "Christian Sam 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  18. ^ "ASU Football: Christian Sam declares for NFL Draft". HouseOfSparky.com. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  19. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile – Christian Sam". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  20. ^ "Arizona State ILB Christian Sam : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  21. ^ "ASU linebacker Christian Sam leads position group in bench press". Arizona Sports. March 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "Patriots Draft Linebacker Christian Sam With 178th Pick In 2018 NFL Draft". CBS News. April 28, 2018.
  23. ^ "New England Patriots' 2018 draft: Analysis for every pick". ESPN. April 28, 2018.
  24. ^ "2018 NFL draft: Patriots select LB Christian Sam with the 178th overall pick. He had a pick against the Eagles in the Patriots second preseason game of the 2018 season". PatsPulpit.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  25. ^ Haller, Doug (April 28, 2018). "ASU linebacker Christian Sam drafted by New England Patriots in NFL draft's 6th round". The Arizona Republic.
  26. ^ Kyed, Doug (February 19, 2019). "Hidden Patriots: New England Stashed Versatile Linebacker On Roster".
  27. ^ Haynie, Jess (July 9, 2022). "Cowboys Add Former Patriots, USFL LB Christian Sam ✭ Inside The Star".
  28. ^ "Patriots Announce Roster Cutdown". Patriots.com. September 1, 2018.
  29. ^ Shpigel, Ben (February 4, 2019). "Patriots Win in Lowest-Scoring Super Bowl Ever". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  30. ^ Thomas, Oliver (August 30, 2019). "Patriots 2018 sixth-rounder Christian Sam joins list of reported exits". PatsPulpit.com. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  31. ^ Crabbs, Kyle (September 3, 2019). "Dolphins finalize 2019 practice squad roster". DolphinsWire.USAToday.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  32. ^ "Dolphins make switch on 2019 practice squad". DolphinsWire; USA Today. September 12, 2019.
  33. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". www.49ers.com.
  34. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 5, 2019.
  35. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 10, 2019.
  36. ^ "Lions sign free agents LB Christian Sam & DT Olive Sagapolu to practice squad". DetroitLions.com. December 17, 2019.
  37. ^ "Lions report 11 Reserve/Future signings". DetroitLions.com. December 30, 2019. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  38. ^ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. August 9, 2020.
  39. ^ Camenker, Jacob (February 23, 2022). "USFL Draft tracker: Complete results, rosters for new football league". Sporting News.
  40. ^ @USFLBandits (June 7, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved June 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  41. ^ @USFLBreakers (June 7, 2022). "Roster Updates" (Tweet). Retrieved June 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Phillips, Rob (July 8, 2022). "Cowboys Sign Kicker; Add LB Christian Sam". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  43. ^ Eatman, Nick (August 23, 2022). "Cowboys Cut Kicker; Roster Trimmed Down to 80". DallasCowboys.com.
  44. ^ "XFL Transactions". www.xfl.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  45. ^ "UFL Player Transactions, Tuesday March 19, 2024". UFLBoard.com. March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  46. ^ "Arlington, D.C., and Houston announce training camp roster moves". UFLBoard.com. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  47. ^ "UFL Transactions". UFLBoard.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  48. ^ "UFL Transactions". UFLBoard.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
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