Abu Sama III stands for a photo during Iowa State Football media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. © Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
AMES — Abu Sama simply followed the instructions. The Iowa State freshman tailback picked the right gap, tucked in the football and dashed through the snow, rushing for 276 yards and three touchdowns in his breakout game last season at Kansas State.
Sama’s star power spiked. The compliments bubbled up. But the 5-10, 210-pounder from Southeast Polk didn’t let the high praise cloud his long-term vision.
“I felt a little shift,” said Sama, who scored five touchdowns spanning 50 yards or greater in 2023 — the most by a Cyclones back in a season since at least 1971. “Probably a little bit more attention. I try not to let that get to me too much. I know that I’m definitely going to do a lot more in the future, a lot more things on the football field, a lot more touchdowns. Try to do anything that’s best for the time, so I decided not to let all that stick with me.”
Instead, Sama stuck with the attitude that allowed him to experience considerable success in his first college football season. He added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason. He worked with director of strength and conditioning Reid Kagy to enhance his every-down explosiveness.
“I think the one thing you do challenge Abu in is his growth as a football player because you see the spurts of excellence,” said ISU head coach Matt Campbell, whose running game ranked 11th in the Big 12 last season despite Sama’s heroics. “How do we repeatedly get ourselves into that? You guys know (from) covering Abu that he was such a multi-sport athlete (and) probably until we got to the end of his senior year, we didn’t know if he was gonna be a great tailback or a great corner(back). We just knew he was a great athlete.”
Now Sama and his fellow backs are working to become more complete athletes. That includes improving as blockers and potential receivers in the passing game. Sama caught seven passes for 51 yards last season. Fellow sophomore Carson Hansen totaled 10 receptions for 80 yards and true freshman Dylan Lee also can shine in that area. Eastern Michigan transfer Jaylon Jackson adds an intriguing wrinkle, as well. He caught a career-high 22 passes out of the backfield last season for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
“I don’t think there was any moment for him where this is too fast, this is too big — not for one second,” Cyclones assistant head coach and running backs coach Tyler Roehl said of Jackson, who arrived in the spring. “I’ve really appreciated his investment in how we’re teaching and how we’re learning.”
Jackson, a 5-7, 180-pound senior, quickly emerged as a mentor to a room filled with freshmen and sophomores.
“They still helped me learn a lot,” Jackson said. “And as I can teach them things, I’m also learning from them.”
All of ISU’s backs — along with an experienced offensive line — must learn how to be more consistent. And that’s been an ongoing issue. Despite producing three NFL backs (Breece Hall, David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu) in recent years, the Cyclones’ rushing offense has ranked seventh or worse in the Big 12 in seven of the eight seasons that constitute the Campbell era.
“A lot of it’s mindset,” Roehl said. “When I’m running the ball, I can be the hammer or the nail. Our goal is to be the hammer. We want to run with that one speed and that speed is physicality. So it’s (up to) them to embody that mindset, but it can’t just happen on Saturdays. We need to do that in practice.”
So far, so good. ISU’s running backs have trained with a sense of urgency. But can that hard-nosed approach translate to more consistent production? Stay tuned — but Sama’s not relying merely on star power to secure a starting slot.
“Nothing’s really changed,” he said. “If anything, I’m still working for my spot. There (are) a lot of other great running backs in (our) room and we’re pushing each other every day to become better.”
