Abu Sama

Last updated

Abu Sama
Iowa State Cyclones–No. 24
Position Running back
ClassFreshman
Major Business
Personal information
Born: (2005-05-27) May 27, 2005 (age 19) [1]
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career history
College Iowa State (2023–present)
High school Southeast Polk (Pleasant Hill, Iowa)

Abu Sama III (born May 27, 2005) [1] is an American college football running back for the Iowa State Cyclones.

Contents

Early life

Sama was born on May 27, 2005, in Des Moines, Iowa. [1] [2] His father grew up in Sierra Leone while his mother was born in Liberia; both had near-death experiences during the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars. [1] He attended Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, where he played football and ran track. [1] He won state long jump championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and set the all-time state record in the event. [3]

As a junior in football, Sama totaled 20 tackles while playing defense and on offense ran for 931 yards and 12 touchdowns as Southeast Polk won the state championship. [3] [4] The following season, he ran for 1,408 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging more than 10 yards per touch. [5] He concluded his high school career with 372 rushing yards and six touchdowns in the state title game, helping Southeast Polk win their second straight while setting state title game records in both statistical categories. [5] Sama was named the Des Moines Register Player of the Year, [6] the Gatorade Iowa Player of the Year, [7] first-team all-state and was chosen to play in the US Army Bowl. [3] Ranked a three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Iowa State Cyclones over other offers. [8]

College career

Sama saw immediate playing time as a true freshman at Iowa State in 2023; in 12 games, he totaled 84 rushes for 614 yards (a 7.3 average) and six touchdowns. [9] [10] Against 19th-ranked Kansas State in his first start, he ran for 276 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win, which was the fourth-most in a single game in school history and the most ever by a freshman. [11] [12] [13] He was named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for his performance. [13]

Related Research Articles

Troy Davis is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Davis twice earned consensus All-American honors and was the first and one of only two NCAA Division I-A running backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. In 2016, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He played professionally for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, and was a member of the Eskimos' Grey Cup championship team in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aubrey Devine</span> American lawyer

Aubrey Alvin "Aub" Devine was an American football and basketball player, coach, and lawyer. He was the quarterback for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team from 1919 to 1921. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player all three years at Iowa and was the consensus All-American quarterback in 1921. Devine served as the head basketball coach at the University of Denver for two seasons, from 1923 to 1925. He later worked as an assistant football coach under Howard Jones at the University of Southern California (USC). Devine was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa State Cyclones football</span> Football team of Iowa State University

The Iowa State Cyclones football program is the intercollegiate football team at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The team is coached by Matt Campbell. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference, and are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Cyclones play their home games at Jack Trice Stadium, with a capacity of 61,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center</span> Public events building in Iowa, United States

Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center is a building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, that is part of the Iowa Events Center. Named to honor the World War II veterans of Polk County, it opened on February 1, 1955.

Nathan Scheelhaase is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive assistant and passing game specialist for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Iowa State University in 2023.

The Iowa State Cyclones football team represents Iowa State University in American football.

The 1943 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts in the Big Six Conference during the 1943 college football season. In their second year under head coach Mike Michalske, the Cyclones compiled a 4–4 record, finished in third place in the conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 147 to 104. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones moved their kickoff times from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the 1943 season.

The 1952 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts in the Big Seven Conference during the 1952 college football season. In their sixth year under head coach Abe Stuber, the Cyclones compiled a 3–6 record, finished in sixth place in the conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 199 to 158. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.

The 1953 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts in the Big Seven Conference during the 1953 college football season. In their seventh and final year under head coach Abe Stuber, the Cyclones compiled a 2–7 record, finished in last place in the conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 211 to 120. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.

The 1954 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts in the Big Seven Conference during the 1954 college football season. In their first year under head coach Vince DiFrancesca, the Cyclones compiled a 3–6 record, finished in sixth place in the conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 182 to 151. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.

The 1972 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University in the Big Eight Conference during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Johnny Majors, the Cyclones compiled a 5–6–1 record, finished in seventh place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 319 to 238. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Lazard</span> American football player (born 1995)

Allen Jamel Lazard is an American professional football wide receiver for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State, initially signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He also has played for the Green Bay Packers.

Joel Lanning is a former American football linebacker who is currently a graduate assistant for the Iowa State Cyclones football team. He played college football at Iowa State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Montgomery (American football)</span> American football player (born 1997)

David Montgomery is an American professional football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brock Purdy</span> American football player (born 1999)

Brock Purdy is an American professional football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, becoming that year's Mr. Irrelevant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breece Hall</span> American football player (born 2001)

Breece Maelik Hall is an American professional football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State, where he was a two-time All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Hall was selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Allen (tight end)</span> American football player (born 1997)

Chase Allen is an American professional football tight end for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Iowa State.

Brody Brecht is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization. He was drafted by the Rockies with the 38th selection in the 2024 MLB draft.

J. J. Kohl is an American football quarterback who plays for Iowa State Cyclones.

Joseph Scates is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He previously played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and for the Memphis Tigers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Birch, Tommy (April 26, 2023). "How Southeast Polk star Abu Sama was inspired by his parents' dangerous journey to the US". Des Moines Register . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Abu Sama III". ESPN.
  3. 1 2 3 "Abu Sama III". Iowa State Cyclones.
  4. ↑ Dubrof, Jeff (June 25, 2022). "Southeast Polk's Abu Sama commits to Iowa State". KCCI.
  5. 1 2 Goodwin, Cody (November 20, 2022). "Sama's all-time state title performance shows value of star players". Des Moines Register . p. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. ↑ Goodwin, Cody (December 4, 2022). "Southeast Polk's Abu Sama named All-Iowa Football Player of the Year". Des Moines Register .
  7. ↑ "Abu Sama Named Iowa Gatorade Football Player of the Year". Southeast Polk Community School District. January 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Abu Sama inks with Iowa State Cyclones; 3-star Southeast Polk (Iowa) RB/DB had late suitors". Sports Illustrated . December 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Abu Sama College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com . Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Abu Sama 2023 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ Olson, Eric (November 27, 2023). "Sama's 276-yard rushing night in 1st start for Iowa St. highlighted by long touchdowns". Associated Press.
  12. ↑ "Recap: Abu Sama's historic game helps Iowa State beat Kansas State in Farmageddon". KCCI. November 25, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Dubrof, Jeff (November 27, 2023). "Abu Sama III earns conference honors after historic game". KCCI.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.