Sam Okuayinonu

Sam Okuayinonu
Okuayinonu in 2023
No. 91 – San Francisco 49ers
PositionDefensive end
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (1998-05-01) May 1, 1998
Monrovia, Liberia
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight269 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High schoolLowell (Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.)
CollegeMaryland (2019–2021)
NFL draft2022: undrafted
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Total tackles85
Sacks6.5
Forced fumbles2
Pass deflections1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Sam Okuayinonu (born May 1, 1998) is a Liberian professional American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins,[1] and signed as undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

Early life

Sam Okuayinonu was a three-star recruit from Lowell, Massachusetts. He played defensive line for Lowell High School graduating in 2016.

College career

On January 26, 2019, Okuayinonu committed to the Maryland Football. At Maryland, Okuayinonu had a total of 90 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.[2] After the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl, Okuayinonu declared for the draft.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 269 lb
(122 kg)		 33+1⁄4 in
(0.84 m)		 9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 6 ft 5 in
(1.96 m)		 4.77 s 1.62 s 2.71 s 4.58 s 7.48 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)		 31 reps
All values from Pro Day[3]

Tennessee Titans

Okuayinonu was not selected in the 2022 NFL draft. On April 30, 2022, he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.[4] He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[5][6] He was promoted to the active roster on October 4.[7] The Titans waived Okuayinonu on December 6, 2022, and re-signed with the practice squad.[8] He was promoted to the active roster on December 29, then waived the next day and re-signed back to the practice squad.[9][10]

Okuayinonu signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2023.[11] On August 29, 2023, he was waived for final roster cuts before the start of the 2023 season.[12] Though Okuayinonu signed with the practice squad on August 30, the next day he was released again.[13][14]

San Francisco 49ers

On January 10, 2024, Okuayinonu was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.[15] He signed a reserve/future contract on February 13, 2024.[16]

Okuayinonu was waived by the 49ers on August 28, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad.[17][18] He was promoted to the active roster on September 28.[19]

On March 26, 2025, Okuayinonu re-signed with the 49ers.[20]

Designated as an restricted free agent in the 2026 offseason, the 49ers tendered him on March 11, 2026 and re-signed him a week later.[21][22]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2022 TEN 6 0 11 3 8 0 0.5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024 SF 16 3 35 25 10 6 3.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2025 SF 15 12 39 23 16 6 3.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 37 15 85 51 34 12 6.5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TFL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2025 SF 2 2 6 4 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 2 2 6 4 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ a b Fangman, Tyler (January 3, 2022). "Maryland DL Sam Okuayinonu makes decision on 2022 season". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Sam Okuayinonu College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Sam Okuayinonu College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Oshtry, Sam (April 30, 2022). "Maryland football defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu signs with Tennessee Titans". Testudo Times. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 30, 2022). "Titans Trim Roster to 53 Players with 29 Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com.
  6. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 31, 2022). "Titans Add Players to the Team's Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com.
  7. ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 4, 2022). "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves on Active Roster, Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com.
  8. ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 6, 2022). "Titans Make Several Roster Moves on 53-Man Roster, Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 29, 2022). "Titans Place QB Ryan Tannehill, OLB Bud Dupree and LB Zach Cunningham on Injured Reserve While Promoting Three Others to the Active Roster". TennesseeTitans.com.
  10. ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 30, 2022). "Titans Release OLB Sam Okuayinonu and DB John Reid From 53-Man Roster". TennesseeTitans.com.
  11. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 10, 2023). "Titans Sign 12 Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com.
  12. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 29, 2023). "Titans Trim Roster Ahead of NFL's Deadline". TennesseeTitans.com.
  13. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 30, 2023). "Titans Add Players to the Team's Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  14. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 31, 2023). "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves on Thursday". Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  15. ^ "49ers Sign CB Mitchell and DL Okuayinonu to the Practice Squad". 49ers.com. January 10, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "San Francisco 49ers Sign Nine Free Agents". 49ers.com. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "49ers Sign Three Players, Place Two Players on Injured Reserve and Other Moves". 49ers.com. August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "49ers Place Ricky Pearsall on Reserve/Non-Football Injury List and More Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "49ers Make Multiple Roster Moves Ahead of #NEvsSF". 49ers.com. September 28, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  20. ^ Bonilla, David (March 26, 2025). "DE Sam Okuayinonu signs one-year exclusive rights contract with 49ers". 49ers Webzone. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  21. ^ "49ers Tender Defensive Lineman Sam Okuayinonu". 49ers.com. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  22. ^ "49ers Sign WR Christian Kirk, P Corliss Waitman to One-Year Deals; Re-Sign DL Sam Okuayinonu". 49ers.com. March 18, 2026. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
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