Christian Sam
Christian C. Sam is an American professional football linebacker. 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. 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
Sam is a native of Allen, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas, 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 for the [Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football|Bulldogs American football|football team at Louisiana Tech].Sam attended Allen High School 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.
He was named the Defensive MVP of the 2013 Texas state championship game after tallying 5.5 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. That season he was also named 10-5A First Team All-District. Rivals.com rated him the No. 27 linebacker 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 in August 2013. He chose the Sun Devils over nearly 20 other schools, including Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas Tech. 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.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.
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, including 68 solo tackles, one interception, three sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
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.
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. He also tallied one interception, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. He was named First Team All-League by the Associated Press, 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.
Professional career
Pre-draft
At the NFL Scouting Combine, he had 28 reps in the 225-pound bench press, the most of anyone at the linebacker position. Sports analyst Lance Zierlein 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 New England Patriots selected Sam in the sixth round 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 at the end of preseason during the team's Super Bowl LIII season. He was part of the team when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. A year later he was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.