You’ve probably heard the legend by now. It’s the kind of story that sounds like a fever dream from a 90s sports movie. Urban Meyer, the then-head coach of one of the most powerful programs in the country, walks into a high school gym at Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller. He isn't there to see a linebacker or a quarterback. He's just passing through.
Then he sees it.
A 6-foot-4, 200-pound kid is absolutely dominating a game of dodgeball. He's diving, throwing heaters, and moving with a fluidity that you just don't see in kids that size. Meyer turns to the high school coach and asks, "Who is that?" The response? "Oh, that’s Sam Hubbard. He’s going to Notre Dame to play lacrosse."
Meyer didn’t care. He saw an athlete. And that chance encounter changed the trajectory of Sam Hubbard Ohio State history forever.
The Lacrosse Midfielder Who Became a Defensive End
Honestly, the transition wasn't an overnight thing. When Hubbard finally flipped his commitment from Notre Dame lacrosse to Ohio State football, he arrived in Columbus as a "safety." Think about that. A guy who eventually made a living eating NFL quarterbacks started his college career trying to backpedal in the secondary.
It didn't last.
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He redshirted in 2014, and that's when the real work started. If you want to know how a skinny lacrosse player becomes an elite Big Ten defensive end, it involves about 60 pounds of muscle and a lot of extra meals. By the time he hit the field for the 2015 season, he was 265 pounds of pure problem for opposing offensive tackles.
Breaking Down the Numbers
While stats don't tell the whole story, they show the steady climb:
- 2015 (Freshman): 28 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks.
- 2016 (Sophomore): 46 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks.
- 2017 (Junior): 42 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, and 7.0 sacks.
He wasn't just a "motor" guy, though people loved to use that cliché. He was technically sound. He used those lacrosse hands to shed blocks. He had a spatial awareness that most defensive ends take a decade to learn. Basically, he played football with the brain of a midfielder and the body of a tank.
Why Sam Hubbard Ohio State Highlights Still Loop in Columbus
There are certain players you just trust when the game is on the line. Hubbard was that guy. He wasn't always the flashiest—this was an era where he shared the line with guys like Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, and Tyquan Lewis—but he was remarkably consistent.
His performance against Michigan in 2017 is still talked about in hushed, reverent tones. 2.5 sacks in a 31-20 win at the Big House. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for that one. He also closed out his career with a monstrous performance in the Cotton Bowl against USC, racking up 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks against Sam Darnold.
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It was a statement. He was leaving for the NFL, and he wanted to make sure everyone remembered the "lacrosse kid" as one of the best to ever put on the Scarlet and Gray.
The Academic All-American Factor
We talk a lot about his 4.32 shuttle time or his 35-inch vertical, but Hubbard was a Finance major. He wasn't just coasting. He was a first-team Academic All-American in 2016. In the world of high-stakes college football, being a "scholar-athlete" usually feels like a PR term. For Hubbard, it was real. He was a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
That intelligence translated to the field. He rarely bit on play-action. He understood leverage. He was essentially a coach on the field by his junior year.
The NFL Transition: A Hometown Hero
When the Cincinnati Bengals took him in the third round (77th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, it was a homecoming. He grew up in Cincinnati. He went to Moeller. He played for Sam Hubbard Ohio State fans for three years. Now, he was back in the Queen City.
A lot of scouts doubted him. They saw a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the combine and thought he might be too slow for the edge. They were wrong. His "game speed" was always different. His short-area quickness—that 6.84-second three-cone drill—was elite. That’s what matters for a defensive end.
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And let’s be real, the Bengals got a steal. He’s become a cornerstone of their defense, a captain, and the author of the "Hubbard Yard Dash"—that 98-yard fumble return against the Ravens in the playoffs.
Actionable Insights for Athletes and Fans
If you're looking at Sam Hubbard's career as a blueprint, there are a few things you can actually take away:
- Multi-sport participation matters: Hubbard credits lacrosse for his hand-eye coordination and lateral agility. Don't specialize too early.
- The "Redshirt" is an opportunity, not a punishment: He used his year off to transform his body from a safety into a defensive end.
- Leverage your intelligence: Being an Academic All-American wasn't just for the resume; his ability to diagnose plays made him a faster player than his 40-yard dash suggested.
- Trust the process of a position change: He went from safety to tight end to linebacker to defensive end. Adaptability is a superpower in modern football.
Hubbard's story is a reminder that the path to greatness isn't always a straight line. Sometimes, it starts with a dodgeball in a high school gym and a coach who's willing to take a chance on a "lacrosse kid."
For those following his path today, focusing on functional agility and mental processing will always trump raw straight-line speed. Hubbard proved that you don't need to be the fastest guy on the track to be the most dangerous guy on the field.
To truly understand his impact, watch the 2017 Cotton Bowl film. Pay attention to how he uses his hands. It isn't just power; it's the technique he learned years ago with a lacrosse stick in his hand, repurposed to dominate the line of scrimmage.