Sam Olajubutu

Sam Olajubutu (born November 15, 1983) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2007.^[1] He played college football at Arkansas.

Early years

Olajubutu attended LaGrange High School, where as a senior, he garnered all-state honors and was named Georgia’s 3A Defensive Player of the Year and West Georgia Player of the Year.^[2] In addition, he was named the 4A region player of the year as well as the LaGrange Daily News’ Player of the Year. He was selected to the All-Columbus Ledger Inquirer squad. He earned 170 tackles in his senior season in leading his team to the state championship.^[3] Rivals.com ranked him as the No. 54 prep outside linebacker in the nation. He finished third in the state in wrestling in 2001. He was ranked No. 1 in the state in the 215-pound weight class in wrestling as a senior.

Despite his production, Olajubutu was not recruited by Georgia, instead only garnering SEC scholarship offers from Mississippi State and Arkansas.^[3]

College career

Olajubutu played at the University of Arkansas, where he started 40 games and became just the 14th player in school history to eclipse 300 tackles.^[4] He finished with 372 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions and was an All-SEC first-team choice in each of his last two years.

Freshman (2002, 2003)

As a true freshman in 2002, Olajubutu played in three games and recorded two tackles. He later would apply for and receive a medical redshirt, allowing four more years of participation. As a redshirt freshman in 2003, Olajubutu recorded 85 total tackles, including three tackles for loss and two interceptions.^[5]

Sophomore

In 2004, Olajubutu recorded 45.5 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for a loss of seven yards, four passes defended, and a fumble recovery.^[6]

Junior

Opening the season against Missouri State, Olajubutu had ten tackles and was named one of three Hogwired.com Players of Week.^[7] Against #1 Southern Cal, Olajubutu had 14 tackles.^[8] The following week, the junior had 16 tackles and two sacks against #20 Alabama.^[9] His breakout game was against #20 Auburn, when he had 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry, and a pass deflected.^[10]

His efforts made Olajubutu an Honorable Mention All-American by College Football News.com.^[11] He also was a first-team All-SEC selection by SEC coaches, and tabbed on the All-SEC second team by the Associated Press in 2005.^[12] He ranked third in the SEC with 118 tackles.^[13] As a junior, Olajubutu was named to the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List.^[14]

Senior

Pre-Season

Prior to the 2006 season, Olajubutu was tagged on watch lists for the Lott Trophy, Lombardi Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and Butkus Award.^{[15][16][17][18]} Rivals.com also named Olajubutu as a second-team All-American prior to 2006.^[19] CollegeFootballNews.com named the senior the #3 Linebacker in the Nation and the No. 11 SEC Position Player, and The Birmingham News said Olajubutu was the SEC’s Best Outside Linebacker. Eight separate organizations named Olajubutu as a first-team All-SEC performer.^[20]

The senior linebacker had six tackles and a sack in the Red-White scrimmage on April 8.^[21]

2006 season

Olajubutu recorded 12 tackles against Southern Cal and 13 against Utah State.^[22] He recorded 14 stops in a win at Vanderbilt.^[23] Following a victory over #2 Auburn, Olajubutu was named a mid-season All-American, recording 66 tackles in the first five games^[24] After missing the game against Louisiana-Monroe with an injury, Olajubutu returned to action against the South Carolina Gamecocks and recorded three tackles in a win.^[25] The following week against #13 Tennessee, the senior linebacker had eight tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble as the Hogs won 31-14.^[26] A victory over Mississippi State gave the Hogs the SEC Western Division title and a berth in the 2006 SEC Championship Game.^[27] Against #4 Florida, Olajubutu recorded six tackles, all unassisted, but the Razorbacks lost 38-28.^[28] Olajubutu would record three tackles in the 2007 Capital One Bowl, his final game as an Arkansas Razorback.^[29]

Following the season

Olajubutu was named First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press, SEC Coaches, and Scout.com. He also was a Bednarik Award Semifinalist, Butkus Award Semifinalist, and Lott Trophy Quarterfinalist.^[30] He was invited to play in the East–West Shrine Game, along with teammate Keith Jackson.^[31]

2007 NFL Draft

The NFL Combine placed his height at 5'8.^[32] He was listed as a safety on some draft boards.^[33] Olajubutu would go undrafted.

References

External links

• Arkansas Razorbacks bio
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio