Welcome back to our NIL Interview series. In this episode, we are introduced to CU’s starting defensive lineman, Jalen Sami. A lightly-recruited player out of Colorado Springs, Sami was asked by the Mike MacIntyre coaching staff to gray-shirt, delaying his enrollment until the spring of 2018.
Sami made a splash when he did take the field in his freshman season in 2019, recovering a fumble in his very first game, a rout of CSU in Denver. Later that season, Sami saved the day against Washington, making a play on - of all things - special teams.
Now on his third head coach and sixth position coach, Sami still has two years of eligibility remaining. Sami already has 24 career starts under his belt, but believes he just had his best spring since he arrived in Boulder in 2018, and can’t wait, as he put it, “to shock the world”.
So ... What was it like being 6'6", 320-pounds in high school, and being lightly recruited? ... What does Sami think of CU’s move from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense? ... Why does Sami think that, even though he’ll have a year of eligibility left for the 2023 season, he may be playing elsewhere next fall? ... And what was Sami’s motivation in playing against Washington in 2019 which may have helped him make the play which saved the day for the Buffs? ..
... Let’s find out ...