Sam Okuayinonu

Liberian-American gridiron football player (born 1998)

American football player

Sam Okuayinonu

Okuayinonu in 2021

No. 67 – San Francisco 49ers

Position:

Defensive end

Personal information

Born:

(1998-05-01) May 1, 1998 (age 26)
Monrovia, Liberia

Height:

6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Weight:

269 lb (122 kg)

Career information

High school:

Lowell
(Lowell, Massachusetts)

College:

Maryland (2019–2021)

Undrafted:

2022

Career history

Tennessee Titans (2022)
San Francisco 49ers (2023–present)*

* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

Third-team All-Big Ten (2021)

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Total tackles:	11
Sacks:	0.5

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Sam Okuayinonu (born May 1, 1998) is a Liberian-American gridiron football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland,^[1] and signed as undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

Early years

Sam Okuayinonu was a three-star recruit from Lowell, Massachusetts. He played defensive line for Lowell High School graduating in 2016.

College career

On January 26, 2019, Okuayinonu committed to the Maryland Football. At Maryland, Okuayinonu had a total of 90 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.^[2] After the events of the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl, Okuayinonu declared for the draft.^[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	269 lb (122 kg)	33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.77 s	1.62 s	2.71 s	4.58 s	7.48 s	35.5 in (0.90 m)	10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)	31 reps
All values from Pro Day^[3]

Tennessee Titans

Okuayinonu was not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. On April 30, 2022, he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.^[4] He was waived on August 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad the next day.^[5]^[6] He was promoted to the active roster on October 4.^[7] The Titans waived Okuayinonu on December 6, 2022 and re-signed with the practice squad.^[8] He was promoted to the active roster on December 29, then waived the next day and re-signed back to the practice squad.^[9]^[10]

Okuayinonu signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2023.^[11] On August 29, 2023, he was waived for final roster cuts before the start of the 2023 season.^[12] Though Okuayinonu signed with the practice squad on August 30, the next day he was released again.^[13]^[14]

San Francisco 49ers

On January 10, 2024, Okuayinonu was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.^[15] He signed a reserve/future contract on February 13, 2024.^[16]

References

^ ^a ^b Fangman, Tyler (2022-01-03). "Maryland DL Sam Okuayinonu makes decision on 2022 season". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
^ "Sam Okuayinonu Overview". www.sports-reference.com.
^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Sam Okuayinonu College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
^ "Maryland football defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu signs with Tennessee Titans". www.testudotimes.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (August 30, 2022). "Titans Trim Roster to 53 Players with 29 Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (August 31, 2022). "Titans Add Players to the Team's Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (October 4, 2022). "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves on Active Roster, Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (December 6, 2022). "Titans Make Several Roster Moves on 53-Man Roster, Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
^ Wyatt, Jim (December 29, 2022). "Titans Place QB Ryan Tannehill, OLB Bud Dupree and LB Zach Cunningham on Injured Reserve While Promoting Three Others to the Active Roster". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (December 30, 2022). "Titans Release OLB Sam Okuayinonu and DB John Reid From 53-Man Roster". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (January 10, 2023). "Titans Sign 12 Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (August 29, 2023). "Titans Trim Roster Ahead of NFL's Deadline". TennesseeTitans.com.
^ Wyatt, Jim (August 30, 2023). "Titans Add Players to the Team's Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
^ Wyatt, Jim (August 31, 2023). "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves on Thursday". Retrieved August 31, 2023.
^ "49ers Sign CB Mitchell and DL Okuayinonu to the Practice Squad". 49ers.com. January 10, 2024.
^ "San Francisco 49ers Sign Nine Free Agents". 49ers.com. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.