When Michael Sam came out of Hitchcock High School in Hitchcock, TX., in 2008 he was rated as the No. 75 overall defensive end prospect in the country. He was an All-Houston Metro player as well as a track star and powerlifter.
When he chose Missouri as his college of choice, Gary Pinkel was pleased. He knew he had landed a player with plenty of potential, although it is not certain even Pinkel knew what he was getting.
But Sam has turned into a sack machine and a disruptive force to anybody who has played the Tigers this season. For instance, Missouri went to 7-0 with a 36-17 win over the No. 22 Florida Gators. Missouri held Florida to just 61 yards in the first half, the fewest yards gained by a Tiger opponent in a half since MU allowed just 16 yards in the second half vs. Kentucky last season.
He had three sacks against the Gators on the day (22 yards in loss), and added four tackles in all. He also had a QB hurry. Sam now leads the SEC in both sacks (9.0) and tackles for loss (13.0), and he ranks second in the nation and fourth in those categories, respectively. Sam has recorded three multi-sack games this season and now has 18.5 career sacks, which ranks him fifth all-time in Missouri history.
For his play Sam, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound three-year letterman, was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.
“Congratulations to Michael Sam for the SEC honors for defensive lineman of the week,” said Pinkel. “That’s the third time we had it this season. He really played well and he was all over the field. I’m excited to see him play at that level.”
It has been coming his entire career. Sam has been a force in the Missouri defensive development for the past three years.
“I think right now he is not only playing steady, but he is playing at a very high level. That is the difference now,” said Pinkel. “I think he has had three sacks in back-to-back games, which is very difficult to do. It doesn’t matter who you are playing against. It is kind of interesting how kids mature and then all of a sudden change, and go to a different level. He is playing at that different level right now.
“He is a very good athlete, who runs well and is very athletic. I think he is doing so well because of his energy level. He is playing at a different level than he has ever accomplished before. I could not be more pleased with his progress. It helps the whole team and makes the defense play harder.”
Pinkel pointed to one particular sack against Vanderbilt that stood out in his mind.
“He ran the quarterback down and drove him to the ground. It is just great to see him out there. He is a great athlete. His playing experience over the years and high-level energy has helped him. He has played consistently throughout, and that is a really good thing,” he said.
Against Georgia, Sam recovered a fumble and returned it 21 yards for his third collegiate touchdown.
Sam and the Missouri defense has been a key as the Tigers have compiled a 7-0 record and a No 11 ranking.
“We played great defense,” Pinkel said after the Florida win. “We’re playing at an all-time level up front on the defensive line. We rotate a lot of players in there and they play hard against good offensive lines. Florida has a good offensive line.
“I talked to the team about getting back to the grind. They know what the grind means. They have to have the discipline and mental toughness to handle all of this attention that will be thrown at them. That’s where I will lean on the seniors and captains.”
The Tigers have another big hurdle this weekend when South Carolina visits Faurot Field. But Missouri may be catching a break considering it Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw will miss the game with a knee injury. Unless Shaw is able to recover enough to play that will leave USC backup quarterback Dylan Thompson the man in Sam’s sights.