Urban Meyer was wandering around a high school gym class when he saw a kid who looked like he could jump over the moon. Most recruiters are looking for the next five-star quarterback or a massive offensive tackle who eats 5,000 calories for breakfast. Meyer? He was just watching a tall, skinny kid from Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller play dodgeball. Or maybe it was just a random PE activity. Either way, that kid was Sam Hubbard.
Hubbard wasn't even a football recruit. Not really. He was a lacrosse player.
He was actually committed to Notre Dame to play lacrosse. Think about that for a second. One of the best defensive ends to ever wear the Scarlet and Gray almost spent his spring mornings cradling a stick in South Bend instead of terrorizing Michigan quarterbacks in the Horseshoe.
The Sam Hubbard Ohio State Journey: From Safety to the D-Line
When Sam Hubbard arrived at Ohio State in 2014, nobody knew where to put him. Seriously. He was 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, which is a weird "tweener" size for big-time college football.
He started as a safety. Then they tried him at linebacker. There was even a brief moment where people thought he’d be a tight end because he had the hands for it. Honestly, it's lucky he didn't end up on the offensive side of the ball. He eventually redshirted his first year, and that’s when the magic happened. He ate. He lifted. He basically lived in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. By the time 2015 rolled around, he was a 265-pound monster ready to play defensive end.
The transformation was wild. You don't see kids jump 40 pounds of lean muscle and keep their speed that often. But Hubbard had those "lacrosse feet"—lateral agility that most defensive linemen just don't possess.
Breaking Out on the Big Stage
His redshirt freshman year in 2015 was the "hello world" moment. With Joey Bosa attracting every double-team known to man, Hubbard had room to work. He finished that season with 6.5 sacks. People started realizing that Meyer hadn't just found a project; he’d found a cornerstone.
By the time he was a junior in 2017, Sam Hubbard was the heart of a defensive line that felt more like an NFL position group than a college one. We're talking about a room that had Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, and Jalyn Holmes. It was unfair.
That 2017 season was his masterpiece. He racked up 13.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. But stats don't tell the whole story. If you watch the tape, he was the guy setting the edge. He was the guy who never took a play off. He was the "effort guy" who happened to have elite athleticism.
Why the "Lacrosse Story" Actually Matters
You've probably heard announcers mention the lacrosse thing a thousand times during Bengals games. It’s the new "Jimmy Graham played basketball." But for Sam Hubbard Ohio State fans, it represented his versatility.
Lacrosse requires a specific kind of hand-eye coordination and a "feel" for space. When you see Hubbard batting down passes or timing his jump to strip-sack a quarterback, that’s the multi-sport athlete coming out. He wasn't just a gym rat; he was a natural athlete who could have probably succeeded in three or four different sports if he’d tried.
It also gave him a different perspective on recruiting. He wasn't a kid who had been told he was a god since the eighth grade. He was a guy who had to earn his scholarship by proving he could play a sport he hadn't even focused on. That chip on his shoulder never really went away.
Academic Excellence That People Ignore
Everyone talks about the sacks, but Sam was also a First-Team Academic All-American. He was a finance major. Do you know how hard it is to maintain a 3.6+ GPA while playing defensive end for a Top 5 program? It’s basically a 100-hour work week. He graduated in three and a half years.
He wasn't just some jock coasting through "Rocks for Jocks" classes. He was actually doing the work. This disciplined approach is probably why he transitioned so seamlessly to the NFL. He treats the game like a business, which, frankly, it is.
The Legacy of #94 in Columbus
Hubbard left Ohio State after his junior year, and honestly, nobody blamed him. He’d won a National Championship (as a redshirt in 2014), a Big Ten title, and beat Michigan every single year he was there. What else was there to do?
He was drafted by his hometown Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2018 draft. And yeah, we all know about the "Hubbard Yard Dash" in the playoffs against the Ravens—the 98-yard fumble return that basically broke the internet. But for Buckeyes fans, he will always be the local kid who took a chance on football and became a legend.
A quick look at his Ohio State numbers:
- Total Tackles: 116
- Sacks: 17.0
- Tackles for Loss: 30.0
- Forced Fumbles: 3
Those aren't just "good" numbers. They are "all-timer" numbers considering he only really played three seasons of active defense.
What's Next for the "Cincinnati Kid"?
It’s crazy to think about, but Sam Hubbard recently announced his retirement from the NFL in March 2025. He’s only 29.
A PCL injury in late 2024 really slowed him down, and after seven seasons of giving everything to the Bengals, he decided to hang it up. He finished his pro career with 38.5 sacks and nearly 400 tackles. Not bad for a lacrosse player, right?
Now that he's done with the league, he's likely going to dive even deeper into his Sam Hubbard Foundation, which fights food insecurity in Ohio. He’s always been about the state. Born in Cincy, starred in Columbus, retired a Bengal.
If you're a young athlete reading this, the lesson from Hubbard’s time at Ohio State is pretty simple: don't specialize too early. Play everything. Use your hands, use your feet, and don't be afraid to change positions three times until you find where you belong.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Fans and Athletes
If you want to follow the "Hubbard Blueprint," here is what actually works:
- Embrace Multi-Sport Training: Hubbard's lacrosse background made him a better pass rusher. Don't just lift weights; work on agility and coordination in other sports.
- The Redshirt Year Isn't a Waste: Hubbard used his year off to gain 40 pounds. If you aren't playing immediately, use that time to transform your body.
- Prioritize the "Unsexy" Stats: He was elite at setting the edge and stopping the run, which is what kept him on the field for 100+ NFL games.
- Finish the Degree: Having a finance degree from a school like Ohio State means Hubbard is set for life, regardless of how his knees feel.
Whether he’s on the sidelines at the Shoe or running a charity event in Queen City, Sam Hubbard will always be the gold standard for what an Ohio athlete should be. Short. Sweet. Effective. Just like his bull rush.