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After coming on strong as the season progressed in 2025, earning fourth-place balloting for ACC Rookie Defensive Player of the Year, Samuel built up his strength, speed, and agility through winter and summer workouts, with spring football thrown in-between.
Now as preseason camp is set to open up in under two weeks, Samuel is ready to flip the page to a new season, with a trio of new position coaches, not to mention a much ballyhooed new coordinator in Vince Kehres, Samuel joins other new faces in the defensive starting lineup.
The greatest two-way football players in Syracuse football history The above statement is an easy one to answer when you consider all three of the great No.
44 players - Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, and Floyd Little, all contributed more than just as the legendary, Hall of Fame running backs they turned out to be, during a period between 1950-65.
By 1965, as college football rules changed allowing unlimited substitutions (ending the "two-platoon" system), distinct offensive and defensive players were listed on team rosters, meaning two-way players were becoming extinct.
In the Dome era of Syracuse football, the first name that comes to mind when thinking about an Orange football player making significant contributions on both sides of the ball, is the one-off turned in by Diamond Ferri (141 yards rushing and two touchdowns filling in at RB due to injuries, and a pick-six return on defense) in the 2004 upset of Boston College to win a share of the Big East title.
In the brief Fran Brown era, the 'Cuse coach takes an open-minded view of getting his best ("freak") athletes on the field, including this season with Samuel and a player such as converted tight end-to-linebacker (junior) Jamie Tremble.
A goal of making significant plays on both sides of the field The end result of what Ferri actually accomplished in the '04 BC game, is the kind of stimulating thinking Samuel went through in the off-season.
He spent time mulling about the different methods in which he could contribute, not only by improving his skills under new defensive backs coach Perry Eliano and assistants Brandon Napoleon and Marcus Walker, but also on offense at wide receiver under the tutelage of wide receivers coach Josh Gatis.
"You can expect m to shut down the whole side of the field," Samul jokingly said with his big smile at last week's ACC Kickoff preseason media event in Charlotte.
"But I am definitely going to be making some plays on offense and defense.
Scoring touchdowns on punt returns, interceptions with (a pick-six).
Just being a leader, making sure the defense is playing right.
You'll definitely see some big plays out of me." SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.