Christian C. Sam (born June 7, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

, in 2017 leading the

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

with 127 tackles, while also leading the Pac-12 with 87 solo tackles (4th-most in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

). He has been a member of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

Tampa Bay Bandits The Tampa Bay Bandits were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) which was based in Tampa, Florida. The Bandits were a charter member of the USFL and was the only franchise to have the same principal ...

, New Orleans Breakers, and

Arlington Renegades The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMah ...

Early life

Sam is a native of

Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 104,627 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 111 ...

, a northern suburb of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, and is of Nigerian descent. His father is Prince Christian Sam and his mother is Veronica, and he is the youngest of four children. His brother Prince played

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the Bulldogs football team at Louisiana Tech. Sam attended Allen High School ('14) in Allen, Texas, where he played opposite

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Kyler Murray Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Texas A&M Aggies, Murray played for the ...

, and led the Allen Eagles football team to the Texas 5A Division I State Championships in 2012 and 2013. He was named the Defensive MVP of the 2013 Texas state championship game after tallying 5.5 tackles, a

sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...

, and a forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

. That season he was also named 10-5A First Team All-District.

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rated him the No. 27

recruit in the nation, and almost every major recruiting service considered him a three-star recruit.

College career

Sam committed to play football for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

in August 2013. He chose the Sun Devils over nearly 20 other schools, including

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, Baylor, and

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

. The Sun Devils primarily used him as an

inside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

, though he did also play snaps as an off-the-line

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

and as an

edge rusher Edge rusher, also called an edge defender or simply edge, is a position in gridiron football. The position is used as an alternate term for a pass rushing defensive end or outside linebacker and is sometimes considered its own position entirely. ...

. As a true freshman in 2014, Sam played in all 13 of Arizona State's games. He tallied 16 tackles, one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

, one sack, and one pass deflection. 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 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

; 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). Sam suffered a season-ending high right ankle injury in Arizona State's first game of the 2016 season. He elected to take a medical

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

. 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

). He also tallied one interception, 9.5

tackles for loss The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

, three sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. He was named First Team All-League by the

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, and Honorable Mention All-Pac-12. In four seasons at Arizona State, Sam made 240 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven pass deflections, three interceptions and three forced fumbles in 40 games. After the season, he declared for the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

Professional career

Pre-draft

At the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, he had 28 reps in the 225-pound (102-kg)

bench press The bench press or chest press is a weight training exercise where a person presses a weight upwards while lying horizontally on a weight training bench. The bench press is a Compound movements, compound movement, with the primary muscles involved ...

, the most of anyone at the linebacker position. Sports analyst

Lance Zierlein Lance Zierlein is a sports analyst and commentator. He has hosted sports talk shows on KILT 610, KBME 790, KGOW 1560 AM, and KFNC 97.5 FM in Houston, Texas. Career Zierlein graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School in 1988. Following high ...

wrote: "he has enough talent to become a solid NFL backup who can step into starting reps if needed." Scouts remarked on his "active athleticism." 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."

New England Patriots

The

selected Sam in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft on April 28, 2018. He left ASU with a year of eligibility remaining, though he had graduated early and already earned his diploma. 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 The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

at the end of preseason during the team's

Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...

season. He was part of the team when they defeated the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. A year later he was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

Miami Dolphins

On September 2, 2019, Sam was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

. He was released on September 11.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 5, 2019, Sam was signed to the

practice squad. He was released on December 10, 2019.

Detroit Lions

On December 17, 2019, Sam was signed to the

practice squad. On December 30, 2019, Sam was signed to a reserve/future contract. He was waived on August 9, 2020.

Tampa Bay Bandits

Sam was selected by the

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) in the 21st round of the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL draft, also known as the 2022 USFL player selection meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released thro ...

. He was released on June 7, 2022.

New Orleans Breakers

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

Dallas Cowboys

On July 8, 2022, Sam signed with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

of the NFL. Sam was the first USFL-to-NFL signing of the modern era. He was

waived/injured The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

on August 23, 2022, and placed on injured reserve. He was released on an injury release on August 25.

Arlington Renegades

On December 8, 2023, Sam signed with the

of the XFL. He was placed on the team's suspended list on March 19, 2024, and waived two days later.

Houston Roughnecks

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

References

External links

Instagram pageArizona State Sun Devils football bio
* Justin Melo (April 18, 2018)
"Meet Christian Sam, the relentless gem of the 2018 LB class,"
''USA Today'' (interview). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sam, Christian 1996 births Living people American football linebackers American players of American football of Nigerian descent American gaming YouTubers Arizona State Sun Devils football players Arlington Renegades players Dallas Cowboys players Detroit Lions players Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players New Orleans Breakers (2022) players Players of American football from Allen, Texas San Francisco 49ers players Tampa Bay Bandits (2022) players Houston Roughnecks (2024) players