https://lsu.rivals.com/news/lsu-lb-commit-antoine-sampah-on-the-road-to-recovery-glad-to-be-a-tiger
Five-star linebacker Antoine Sampah is one tough, athletic football player with a very high pain tolerance.
Sampah, from Woodbridge (Va.), plays inside linebacker for his high school team. On Oct. 19, 2018 his team needed help on offense. He was set to play tight end and fullback, but on his very first carry the defender tackled him and fell on his right leg, which caused a tear in his ACL that his doctor later described as an “explosion.” Sampah walked off the field knowing something was wrong but didn’t expect the injury to be too severe.
“My knee kind of touched the ground while I was still upright. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a freak accident,” Sampah said. “My physical trainer was surprised too because most people don’t get up from that. I didn’t think it was my ACL injury because I was able to get up and walk off.”
Jump ahead to Jan. 17, 2019 when he finally received the surgery he needed. His former doctor and insurance company wanted him to wait months before the surgery, he said. But with his future riding on his scholarship offers and an important senior season looming, Sampah’s parents, Karla King and Kasse Sampah, switched insurance companies to get him the proper medical care he needed.
“I didn’t get my surgery right after because my primary care provider was trying to make me wait three or four months. I was like ‘That’s ridiculous. I have stuff to work for and do. I can’t wait three months for surgery plus recovery.’ I wanted to be able to play my senior season, so we had to switch primary care providers during the new year, and I was finally able to get the surgery I desperately needed.”
Since his surgery, the nation’s No. 1 ranked inside linebacker was determined to come back to play his final season of high school football.
“I’m doing really well,” he said. “It’s definitely a humbling experience because you can’t really do anything right after surgery. I had to learn how to walk and run again. You’re definitely in pain for about the first month but then it gets better. It was a hard experience to go through. I’m very close to 100 percent.
“I feel 100 percent, but after surgery your muscles deplete, and you have to build them back up so that’s what I’ve been doing over the last five months.”
In March, Sampah was finally able to make the drive down to Baton Rouge to visit LSU for the first time, and it was more than the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder could have ever imagined.
“It was just a really good feeling when I went there (in March). It was really different. I wasn’t expecting the culture, the people being so nice," he said. Coach (Dave) Aranda and Coach (Ed) Orgeron and all just welcomed me. I just want to be part of the family. It’s a cool place to be. I got a really good feeling about it; different to any other place I’ve visited.,”
Sampah is trying to line up an official visit to LSU, but still has to speak to Orgeron and his mom to figure out the best date. He’s also interested in potentially taking official visits to Oregon, Miami and maybe West Virginia, or schools he hasn’t spent a lot of time at.
“I’m just looking at options, but my commitment is strong with LSU,” he said.
Since his commitment to the Tigers, Sampah’s recruiting has drastically slowed down.
“Honestly, I haven’t been hearing from a lot. It’s kind of died down, which I’m thankful for because my recruiting process was kind of hectic," Sampah said. "I just wanted to commit, and LSU is the place. If anybody still reaches out some it’s probably Oregon. I haven’t been to Oregon so that’s one of the reasons I want to use an official out there.”
With his final year of high school about to start, he’s focused on making sure his body is ready for both football and wrestling – which he credits for helping him on the gridiron.
“I feel like I have good instincts. Yes, it’s about knowing the game and the plays, but you can’t really teach instinct,” he said, adding, “and I’m very athletic. I play multiple sports. Wrestling really helps me out in football. It’s an intense sport, not like WWE or anything like that. It helps with staying square and with my hips and core. It’s really correlated to football.”
When asked what schools besides LSU he’s still interested in or that impress him, he said: “Definitely Alabama because they are a winning program and they’re about hard-work and determination, same as LSU. Oregon and Clemson, too.”
But despite the interest in other programs, there’s a reason he committed to LSU when he did.
“I’ve been to almost every school that I have an offer from, except Oregon. My coach does road trips with all our players. We drove to Miami and make different stops. So, I’ve been to a lot of schools and seen almost everything which is why I feel strong about LSU. I felt it was really different when I went there.”
Five-star linebacker Antoine Sampah is one tough, athletic football player with a very high pain tolerance.
Sampah, from Woodbridge (Va.), plays inside linebacker for his high school team. On Oct. 19, 2018 his team needed help on offense. He was set to play tight end and fullback, but on his very first carry the defender tackled him and fell on his right leg, which caused a tear in his ACL that his doctor later described as an “explosion.” Sampah walked off the field knowing something was wrong but didn’t expect the injury to be too severe.
“My knee kind of touched the ground while I was still upright. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a freak accident,” Sampah said. “My physical trainer was surprised too because most people don’t get up from that. I didn’t think it was my ACL injury because I was able to get up and walk off.”
Jump ahead to Jan. 17, 2019 when he finally received the surgery he needed. His former doctor and insurance company wanted him to wait months before the surgery, he said. But with his future riding on his scholarship offers and an important senior season looming, Sampah’s parents, Karla King and Kasse Sampah, switched insurance companies to get him the proper medical care he needed.
“I didn’t get my surgery right after because my primary care provider was trying to make me wait three or four months. I was like ‘That’s ridiculous. I have stuff to work for and do. I can’t wait three months for surgery plus recovery.’ I wanted to be able to play my senior season, so we had to switch primary care providers during the new year, and I was finally able to get the surgery I desperately needed.”
Since his surgery, the nation’s No. 1 ranked inside linebacker was determined to come back to play his final season of high school football.
“I’m doing really well,” he said. “It’s definitely a humbling experience because you can’t really do anything right after surgery. I had to learn how to walk and run again. You’re definitely in pain for about the first month but then it gets better. It was a hard experience to go through. I’m very close to 100 percent.
“I feel 100 percent, but after surgery your muscles deplete, and you have to build them back up so that’s what I’ve been doing over the last five months.”
In March, Sampah was finally able to make the drive down to Baton Rouge to visit LSU for the first time, and it was more than the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder could have ever imagined.
“It was just a really good feeling when I went there (in March). It was really different. I wasn’t expecting the culture, the people being so nice," he said. Coach (Dave) Aranda and Coach (Ed) Orgeron and all just welcomed me. I just want to be part of the family. It’s a cool place to be. I got a really good feeling about it; different to any other place I’ve visited.,”
Sampah is trying to line up an official visit to LSU, but still has to speak to Orgeron and his mom to figure out the best date. He’s also interested in potentially taking official visits to Oregon, Miami and maybe West Virginia, or schools he hasn’t spent a lot of time at.
“I’m just looking at options, but my commitment is strong with LSU,” he said.
Since his commitment to the Tigers, Sampah’s recruiting has drastically slowed down.
“Honestly, I haven’t been hearing from a lot. It’s kind of died down, which I’m thankful for because my recruiting process was kind of hectic," Sampah said. "I just wanted to commit, and LSU is the place. If anybody still reaches out some it’s probably Oregon. I haven’t been to Oregon so that’s one of the reasons I want to use an official out there.”
With his final year of high school about to start, he’s focused on making sure his body is ready for both football and wrestling – which he credits for helping him on the gridiron.
“I feel like I have good instincts. Yes, it’s about knowing the game and the plays, but you can’t really teach instinct,” he said, adding, “and I’m very athletic. I play multiple sports. Wrestling really helps me out in football. It’s an intense sport, not like WWE or anything like that. It helps with staying square and with my hips and core. It’s really correlated to football.”
When asked what schools besides LSU he’s still interested in or that impress him, he said: “Definitely Alabama because they are a winning program and they’re about hard-work and determination, same as LSU. Oregon and Clemson, too.”
But despite the interest in other programs, there’s a reason he committed to LSU when he did.
“I’ve been to almost every school that I have an offer from, except Oregon. My coach does road trips with all our players. We drove to Miami and make different stops. So, I’ve been to a lot of schools and seen almost everything which is why I feel strong about LSU. I felt it was really different when I went there.”
