Film room: What does transfer RB Abu Sama bring to Wisconsin football?
Breaking down the All-22 tape of the Wisconsin Badgers' likely RB1 in 2026, Abu Sama.
With 28 total commits at the time of writing, the University of Wisconsin football program has signed a sprawling transfer portal class in an effort to reload for a critical 2026 season.
Besides former Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph, who’s slated to be the Badgers’ QB1 next fall, Iowa State transfer running back Abu Sama is arguably the second-biggest fish Wisconsin has reeled in this offseason. The rising senior brings experience and production and fills a need for the Badgers, who lacked a clear-cut RB1 before Sama put pen to paper.
So what can Wisconsin expect out of its exciting new weapon in the backfield? Below, BadgerNotes.com dives into the film, breaking down Sama’s game.
In 2025 with Iowa State, Sama was listed at 5-foot-11, 210 pounds. In terms of current Badger tailbacks, his frame is most comparable to Darrion Dupree. But while Dupree is a shifty scat back with receiving chops, Sama’s game is different in that he brings an element of physicality. He has no issue grinding out yards in the trenches, absorbing body blows, and dishing out punishment in the process.
As such, watching Sama’s tape can lull you into a false sense of comprehension about his game and play style. You watch a handful of four, five, and six-yard runs between the tackles, and you think you understand what he brings to the table. Then, this happens:
Houston initially walls off Sama’s rushing lane, but he refuses to be stonewalled, keeping his legs churning until he finds daylight. He also outruns a defensive back once he gets to the second level.
Sama averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 2025 with the Cyclones, respectable but not exactly eye-popping. Still, he’s a home run threat whenever he takes a handoff, not because he’s inherently explosive but because he’s simply difficult to bring down.
Elusiveness
With the way Sama absorbs and even seeks out contact, he comes across as a power back through much of his film. But the tailback has all kinds of ways to discard would-be tacklers outside of brute strength:
The clean hurdle is obviously impressive, but I also love how he sticks the landing. Once his feet hit the turf, he’s immediately sandwiched by two Cincinnati defenders, both of whom he proceeds to shrug off. It takes nearly the entire Bearcat defense to bring him down on this run, and that’s not hyperbole.
This hurdle wasn’t an anomaly. Sama utilized this move multiple times in the games I studied, often successfully:
That’s part of what makes Sama so difficult to bring down. Defenders are taught to go low on powerful tailbacks, but his bag of moves is too deep to assume he’ll try to run you over every time. Watch him put this hapless Colorado defender on skates:
