Abu Sama is a Good RB—Jayden Everett Wants to Make Him Great

Despite how normalized it is now, entering the transfer portal is a major decision for any college athlete.

In essence, you're choosing to uproot whatever you've built at your past program and bet on yourself on the open market. It's a hectic, stressful and chaotic time, even for a player like Abu Sama who'd made himself a hot commodity by racking up over 2,000 all-purpose yards in three seasons at Iowa State.

“I was just really taking my time. Talking with my family, talking with my brothers, talking to God. And just based off all that, the right people were placed in my life," Sama said this spring.

"Coach (Jayden) Everett was one of those people that was placed in my life," he continued.

Sama and Everett's Connection

Wisconsin running backs coach Jayden Everett. | Christian Borman.

The Badgers nabbed Everett from arch rival Minnesota to be their new running backs coach this offseason. And hearing Sama talk, their relationship is one of, if not the main reason he elected to spend his senior season in Madison. By all accounts, the two immediately hit it off when Everett started recruiting him out of the portal.

“Really, just not talking so much about football. Obviously that’s the main thing, but coming to me as a man," Sama said. "Talking about God, family, building that relationship. Questions that you probably wouldn’t hear from other coaches. Just very genuine. He already knew about me before he came to me, a lot of things he went out of his way to know…I come from an African background, I think he knew that. Just exploring that, asking me questions.”

Everett did an excellent job courting Sama, but he certainly wasn't the only one. Again, the tailback comes to Madison with over 2,000 career all-purpose yards in three seasons — he's a been a skilled, productive back since he first got to college.

As a freshman at Iowa State, Sama burst onto the scene immediately, rushing for for 614 yards and six touchdowns on 7.3 yards per carry. His production took a slight dip the following year, but as a junior in 2025, he amassed 732 rushing yards and five scores on 5.2 yards per carry, handling over 140 total touches.

The tailback has a unique running style. He's relentless and physical, but also boasts a wide variety of moves he can use in the open field to shake defenders, most notably spins and hurdles.

The #Badgers’ new RB1 has a DEEP bag of moves 🌀

Full FILM ROOM is live https://t.co/da3StfW0pg pic.twitter.com/bF7gJzIhyI
— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) January 16, 2026

Thus, Sama waltzes into Madison with his reputation proceeding him. More so than the other tailbacks in this room, especially the two far less-experienced transfers Bryan Jackson (USC) and Nate Palmer (TCU), Sama is a known quantity.

Everett still pushing Sama

Still, Sama knows his game can still go from good to great. And he wholeheartedly believes Everett is the person to help him get there.

“He told me how I play as a running back and told me things I need to work on that I didn’t realize myself," he said. "He’s been doing this for a while, he’s sent many backs to the league...Ever since I got here, he’s been showing me why that was the right decision.”

Everett has coached running backs for the better part of 15 years; he's clearly got a keen eye for what plays at the next level, another thing Sama mentioned as why he was so drawn to the coach. And while Sama projects as a very capable back in the Big Ten next fall, he's got plenty to work on as well.

“I would say my vision," he said when asked what he's still working on ahead of his senior campaign. "Reading the secondary. Keeping my eyes on certain things. I can always work on little things. Catching the ball, my footwork.”

Sama already looks like one of the surest things on this roster. Now, it's on Everett to coach him into a truly elite back.

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