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#26 Khari Samuel
Buck Buchanan Award Candidate Framingham, Mass. (Framingham) - Team co-captain who begins his second year as the starting middle
linebacker ... All-America candidate and Buck Buchanan Award
Candidate (top defensive player in I-AA) ... Has the potential to
play at the professional level ... Superb athlete with all the tools
- great size, runs well and makes plays ... The Sporting News tabs
him as the eighth-best linebacker in I-AA and a preseason
All-Atlantic 10 pick ... Ranks fourth all-time at UMass in career
solo tackles (215), fifth in career total tackles (335) and ninth in
career sacks (16.0) ... Recorded double-digit tackle numbers in 21 of
his 33 career games ... Has played in 33 career games, making 24
starts ... Also a dominant special teams performer ... Slated to
handle the long snapping duties this year ... Redshirted in 1994 ...
1997: Started all 11 games at middle linebacker ... Team tri-captain
... One of 10 finalists (and one of just two non-seniors) for the
Buck Buchanan Award ... Named to the New England Football Writers
Division I All-New England team ... Second-team All-Atlantic 10
Conference selection ... Second-team ECAC All-Star selection ...
Second on the team and third in the A-10 with 123 total tackles ...
Second in the A-10 in tackles-for-loss (17) ... Registered
double-digit tackles in eight of 11 games ... Named A-10 Defensive
Player of the Week (Sept. 1), after posting a career-high 19 tackles
(11 solo) with three tackles-for-loss in the season-opener vs.
Richmond ...Registered 15 tackles (nine solo) with two
tackles-for-loss at No. 25 James Madison (Sept. 20) ... Had 12
tackles (11 solo) with one tackle-for-loss at No. 3 Villanova (Oct.
11) ... Registered 12 tackles (eight solo) with two tackles-for-loss
and 0.5 sack vs. No. 4 Delaware (Oct. 25) ... Recorded 12 tackles (10
solo) with two tackles-for-loss and one fumble recovery at Boston
University (Nov. 8) ... Preseason first-team All-Atlantic 10
Conference selection (by media and coaches and by ESPN's
SportsTicker) ...
1996: Started all 11 games at outside linebacker
... Third-team All-Yankee Conference selection ... Second on the team
in tackles and third in Yankee Conference with 118 (77 solo) ... His
77 solo stops ranked sixth on the UMass single season list ... Led
the team in sacks with six ... Also had four pass breakups and tied
for the team lead with three forced fumbles ... Had seven games with
10 tackles or more ... Posted 11 tackles (eight solo) and one pass
breakup in the 28-10 win at Holy Cross (Sept. 14) ... Had 11 tackles
(10 solo) with a sack and one pass breakup in the overtime win at
Richmond (Sept. 21) ... Recorded 11 tackles (seven solo) with two
tackles-for-loss and one sack in the win vs. Northeastern (Sept. 28)
... Posted 13 tackles (seven solo) with one sack in the loss at Rhode
Island (Oct. 5) ... Had a season-high 16 tackles (10 solo) and
season-high two sacks in the 41-20 win over Buffalo (Oct. 19) ...
Made 11 tackles (seven solo) in the loss at New Hampshire (Oct. 26)
... Led the team with 13 tackles (eight solo) while recording three
tackles-for-loss, one pass breakup and one forced fumble vs. Maine
(Nov. 2) ...
1995: Played in all 11 games, starting the final two
games at outside linebacker (Boston University and UConn) ...
Recorded 94 tackles (62 solo), including 10 tackles-for-loss and
seven sacks ... Forced a team-high five fumbles ... Had one
interception, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries ... Second
on the team in total tackles (94), solo tackles (62),
tackles-for-loss (10) and sacks (7) ... Made 13 tackles (nine solo)
in the win at Boston University (Nov. 11) ... Led the team in tackles
with 12 (six solo), one sack and one interception (returned for 23
yards) in the 51-0 win over Holy Cross (Sept. 16) .. Registered 12
tackles (11 solo) in the season finale at UConn (Nov. 18) ...
Recorded 11 tackles (six solo) and one sack in the win over Lehigh
(Oct. 28) ... Had 10 tackles (five solo) in the overtime loss at
Maine (Nov. 4) ... Registered 10 tackles (six solo) and one sack in
the win at Buffalo (Oct. 14) ... Also saw extensive action on the
special teams coverage units, leading the team in special teams
tackles ... Returned one kickoff for 15 yards ...
High School: Played
for Jack Diatelevi at Framingham ... Averaged 14 tackles per game in
his two years as a starter in high school ... Also rushed for over
800 yards in six games as a running back ... Team co-captain as a
senior ... First-team All-Bay State and Metro West All-Star choice
during his senior year ... Selected to play in the Shriner's All-Star
Game ... Also a starter on his high school's lacrosse team ...
Personal: Full name is Khari Iman Mitchell Samuel ... Son of Deborah
Samuel and Alvin Mitchell ... Born October 14, 1976 in New York, N.Y.
... Spent the summer prior to his sophomore year working for NBC at
the Atlanta Olympics, pushing the camera which followed the leader at
the swimming venue ... Majoring in Communications. |
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