Andre' Sam (born February 2, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the McNeese Cowboys, Marshall Thundering Herd and LSU Tigers.
| No. 31 – Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 8, 1999 |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Iowa (Iowa, Louisiana) |
| College: | McNeese (2017–2021) Marshall (2022) LSU (2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editSam was born on February 2, 1999, and grew up in Iowa, Louisiana.[1] He has a speech disorder that causes him to stutter.[2] He was raised by his mother after his father and grandfather died when he was age six.[3] Growing up, he trained in football with his older brother, Aaron, who went on to play college football for the McNeese Cowboys.[3] Sam attended Iowa High School where he played football, being an all-state wide receiver and kick returner, and participated in track and field, being a district long jump champion and district champion in two relay events.[4]
However, at the start of his senior year, his brother Aaron was killed in a shooting, and Sam considered quitting the sport.[3] Sam opted to continue to play and had 775 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns that year, helping Iowa reach the state playoff quarterfinals.[3][4] Due to his weight, 150 pounds (68 kg), and his status as a small school prospect, Sam received no offers to play college football and walked-on to the local McNeese Cowboys.[5]
College career
editSam became a safety and redshirted as a true freshman at McNeese in 2017.[2] He wore the number 21, previously worn by his brother, during the 2018 season, but only appeared in three games, posting six tackles, before suffering a torn labrum.[4][2] He saw more playing time in 2019, playing 12 games and recording 51 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception.[6] The 2020 season was postponed to spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he then appeared in all seven games during the spring 2021 season while leading the team with 52 tackles and three interceptions.[5] He was a first-team All-Southland Conference (SLC) selection for the spring 2021 season.[7] In the fall 2021 season, he placed second in the team with 70 tackles and made a team-leading seven pass breakups along with one interception, repeating as a first-team All-SLC pick.[8]
Sam graduated from McNeese following the 2021 season but opted to continue his college football career, having received extra eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a medical redshirt from his injured 2018 season.[2][8] He entered the NCAA transfer portal and concluded his stint at McNeese having appeared in 33 games while posting 179 tackles, 19 passes defended and five interceptions.[8] Television station KSWL-LD noted that in his tenure with the team, Sam "had to play through three head coaches and deal with a pair of hurricanes that wiped out almost all of the Cowboy facilities."[5] He ended up transferring to the Marshall Thundering Herd for the 2022 season.[9]
With Marshall in the 2022 season, Sam totaled 53 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and seven pass breakups, being named honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference (SBC).[2] He opted to transfer again, and committed to the LSU Tigers for the 2023 season – his seventh and final year of college football.[3] He was granted a medical waiver by the NCAA to be able to play in 2023.[3] With the Tigers, he finished with 85 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions, earning the team's Defensive Player of the Year award.[10] Across his time with McNeese, Marshall and LSU, Sam played in 68 games, 61 as a starter, making 317 tackles 11 TFLs and nine interceptions.[4] He was invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.[11]
Professional career
editAfter going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft, Sam signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent.[3] He was the first alumnus of Iowa High School to sign into the NFL and the school retired his number 16 later in the year.[12] He was waived on August 26, 2024, then re-signed to the practice squad on August 28.[13][14] He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 14 game against the Carolina Panthers and made his NFL debut in the game.[10][15]
References
edit- ^ "Andre' Sam". Fox Sports.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander, Wilson (May 25, 2023). "4 teams, 7 years: André Sam took a modern journey to LSU — and found himself on the way". Nola.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Steele, Cayden (November 21, 2024). "Eagles rookie uses brother's death to inspire NFL dreams: 'We both play' for Philadelphia". The Patriot-News.
- ^ a b c d "Andre' Sam". LSU Tigers.
- ^ a b c Swire, Kelsey (January 11, 2024). "Living Dream for Two". KSWL-LD.
- ^ Travis, Matthew (January 5, 2024). "Former Iowa Safety Andre Sam Declares for 2024 NFL Draft". KPLC.
- ^ Alexander, Wilson (May 18, 2023). "LSU adds to the secondary with seventh-year transfer safety from state of Louisiana". Nola.com.
- ^ a b c Renard, Brady (December 2, 2021). "McNeese all-conference safety André Sam enters the transfer portal". KPLC.
- ^ Renard, Brady (December 16, 2021). "McNeese transfer safety André Sam signs with Marshall". KPLC.
- ^ a b McPherson, Chris (December 7, 2024). "Eagles sign TE E.J. Jenkins to the active roster, place TE Dallas Goedert on Injured Reserve". Philadelphia Eagles.
- ^ Shipp, Sonny (March 1, 2024). "Tracking the LSU Tigers at NFL Combine on Friday". 247Sports.
- ^ Travis, Matthew (October 5, 2024). "Iowa Retires Number 16 in Honor of First NFL Yellow Jacket Andre Sam". KPLC.
- ^ Erby, Glenn (August 26, 2024). "Report: Eagles waive DB Andre Sam ahead of 53-man roster deadline". USA Today.
- ^ Zangaro, Dave (August 28, 2024). "Eagles practice squad tracker 2024: Filling out the 17-man squad". NBC Sports Philadelphia.
- ^ "Andre' Sam Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.