Meet 2025 Syracuse football's versatile teenage prodigy

Samuel is the second youngest player in FBS football for the 2025 season after Auburn center Kail Ellis who is less than a month younger. After reclassifying from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025 and enrolling early in the '25 spring semester at age 16, Samuel will spend the entire campaign playing at 17 years old (DOB: April 2, 2008).

A freshman leader with just eight months on campus

This week ESPN named Samuel, who will see playing time on both sides of the ball as a receiver in addition to projecting as a starting cornerback, as the No. 8 freshman in the FBS ranks. Sure, his natural athleticism at 6'1"/190 lbs. is off the charts, he runs a rocket-like 10.5 100-meter sprint, can read receivers and defenders like clockwork, and is not afraid of contact.

While those traits have left Samuel's teammates in awe, it's just as much about his role as an eerily mature natural leader playing off his skills as a player, and how he conditions himself to perform everyday.

"I kind of feel like that my work speaks for itself, I'm one of the hardest workers on the team," Samuels explained matter-of-factly, not bragging, when he met the media last week. "When I need to be vocal, I definitely will step up when I have to. I try to show everybody what it's like to be a leader by just showing your actions, not only words."

Move over Diamond Ferri, Samuels will truly be a two-way football player

We all remember the legendary performance by Ferri. In 2004's season-ending 43-17 upset at 17th ranked Boston College, a win that gave SU a piece of the Big East regular season title in Paul Pasqualoni's penultimate game as Orange head coach, Ferri went old school.

Playing every snap at his usual safety spot and returning an interception 44 yards for a pick-six, injuries to Walter Reyes and later Damien Rhodes also necessitated Ferri to be inserted on offense at running back, and he proceeded to rush an eye-opening 28 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

But Samuels will be a legitimate two-way player from the start of his college career, spending almost half the time in practice working at cornerback and the other half at wide receiver. With that double-duty he's also soaked in the advice of his coaches and veteran teammates to help smooth his transition.

"Everybody's played a significant part (mentoring)," Samuels explained. "On the defensive side (fellow DBs) Devin Grant and Duce Chestnut. Offensive side I'd say (fellow WRs) Darrell Gill and Justus Ross-Simmons, for sure.

"The coaches are pushing me the hardest especially because I am playing both ways," he continued. "Come back after practice, I should be drained, they said, because I should have no more energy because I have been going so hard at practice."

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