Friday, February 15, 2013
Christian Sam gets Big 12 daily double
By Damon Sayles
In a matter of roughly 90 minutes, Christian Sam (Allen, Texas/Allen) doubled his offer count by way of Big 12 programs on Thursday.
Around 1 p.m. CT Thursday, Sam, an outside linebacker/safety hybrid, picked up offer No. 3 from Baylor. Around 2:30 p.m. CT, Sam got word that Texas Tech also offered. Sam now has offers from Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU and Boise State.
The offers were the perfect gifts for a player getting ready for Saturday’s SMU junior day. Sam will head to University Park, Texas, with Allen teammate Tay Evans, an outside linebacker.
“I got Baylor first, and I felt blessed to get that offer,” Sam said. “I’ve been talking with [linebackers] Coach [Jim] Gush since I went to their junior day. He wanted [defensive coordinator] Coach [Phil] Bennett to see my film and go over it with him. I went into my coach’s office, and he told me they wanted to offer.
“Later, I found out about Tech. I talked to [safeties] Coach [Trey] Haverty, and he explained how they’re doing it big down there. They’re all young and ready to go, and I like him a lot. I feel they can beat a lot of the top schools.”
At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Sam is big enough and quick enough to play either outside linebacker or safety. Sam, who has been clocked in the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, played linebacker for Allen during the program’s Texas Class 5A Division I state-championship run this past season.
Sam, because of his speed, might be projected more as a safety in Texas Tech’s defensive scheme. He fits the mold of the prototype nickelback in Baylor’s setup. Sam additionally has received interest from Oklahoma, Oregon, Michigan, Ole Miss, Arizona and Indiana.
“I’m really happy to have [the offers], but I want to keep focus on the offseason and keep my goals high,” Sam said. “I want to focus on getting back to state. That feeling was great. None of this is going to change me, but it does feel great to know I have some big offers.”
