For the second time this week LSU football coach Brian Kelly dipped into the NCAA transfer portal to bring home a Louisiana native.
Two days after announcing the signing of Notre Dame running back Logan Diggs of Archbishop Rummel, Kelly picked up a commitment Thursday from Marshall safety Andre Sam of Iowa High. He is a graduate student with one year of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Sam, who played for two years at McNeese and has 179 career tackles to his credit, recently took an official visit to LSU and announced his intentions to become a Tiger on his Twitter page.
“Getting the chance to be a part of something special here at LSU is a dream,” Sam told On3.com “Especially being from Louisiana is everything! This is DBU.”
LSU later announced Sam as a signee with the program.
LSU has picked up 14 players through the transfer portal this offseason, including two cornerbacks in Denver Harris of Texas A&M and Zy Alexander of Southeastern Louisiana. The addition of Sam, which brings the Tigers up to 80 scholarship players, is expected to help with depth at a position where Greg Brooks Jr., Major Burns and Sage Ryan are returning.
Sam was a standout wide receiver/kick returner at Iowa High where he had 178 receptions for 2,593 yards and 31 touchdowns during his career. He was a Class 3A first team All-State selection at wide receiver and kick returner as a senior.
Sam signed with McNeese where in 2020 and 2021, he earned first team All-Southland Conference honors and was a second team All-Louisiana selection. He led the Cowboys in tackles during the COVID-19 shortened season in ’20 with 52 stops and three interceptions.
He was second on the team in tackles his second season with 70 tackles, seven passes broken up and an interception.
Sam followed McNeese head coach Lance Guidry to Marshall and recorded 53 tackles – fifth best on the team – with 5 ½ tackles for loss and an interception. The Thundering Herd went 9-4 and won the Myrtle Beach Bowl 28-14 over UConn.
He was an honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference choice last year.
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