Wisconsin's Abu Sama Ranks Among Nation's Hardest RBs to Tackle

Wisconsin football hasn't had a legitimate claim to "RBU" or "Running Back University" for a few seasons now.

Iowa State transfer Abu Sama looks poised to change that immediately.

The former Cyclone amassed 1,933 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns across three seasons in Ames, and he did it as the RB2 (and in the case of his freshman season, the RB3).

He's now penciled in as Wisconsin's clear top ball-carrier ahead of his senior season, and he should spearhead what looks like a deep and talented Badgers backfield that also includes the shifty receiving threat Darrion Dupree and the burly USC transfer Bryan Jackson, among a few other potential contributors.

What makes Sama special? He's got a unique running style in that he's strong and stout at 5-foot-11, 211 pounds; he has no qualms lowering his shoulder in an attempt to run through a defender. But he pairs that with surprising elusiveness and agility, displaying a deep bag of spins, hurdles and the like once he gets into the open field.

#Badgers RB transfer Abu Sama is such a handful to tackle.

Known for his power/breaking arm tackles, but check out this hurdle 👀

Freaky athlete.

Full FILM ROOM coming soon… pic.twitter.com/zAfjB33D17
— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) January 12, 2026

Pop on the tape, and it's immediately evident that Sama is a handful to tackle. He can slip around linemen and linebackers and out-muscle defensive backs. He'll fit right in in the Big Ten, a physical, punishing league that often comes down to which team can absorb the most blows, literally and figuratively.

Watching Sama, it's clear as day what he'll bring to the table in Madison. But according to numbers crunched by CBS Sports' Cody Nagel, the tailback officially ranks among the top 10 hardest running backs to tackle in the entire country.

Nagel produced a list of tackles avoided on rushes leaders, and Sama checked in at No. 8 in the entire country:

Top 🔟 tackles avoided per rush leaders entering 2026 ⬇️🏈 pic.twitter.com/Ipj6Ja0wZW
— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) July 21, 2026

The stat is tackles avoided per rush, meaning that at a clip of 0.33, Sama breaks a tackle just about every third carry. Considering he had 145 touches last fall, that comes out to almost 50 missed tackles forced last season alone.

There's a handful of other tailbacks ahead of Sama, but what's notable is that he's the only Big Ten ball-carrier to even crack the top 10 of this list. Translation? Sama has a statistically verifiable claim to the most elusive running back in the conference.

The former Cyclone should be a blast to watch this fall. If Wisconsin's offensive line can take steps towards the standard it's used to; if they play with a renewed fire and passion under new position coach Eric Mateos, and Sama should have plenty of running lanes and a career year could be in store.

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