Sam Okuayinonu

Sam Okuayinonu (born May 1, 1998) is a Liberian professional American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins,^[1] and signed as undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

Sam Okuayinonu

Okuayinonu in 2021
No. 91 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1998-05-01) May 1, 1998 (age 27) Monrovia, Liberia
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	269 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lowell (Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.)
College:	Maryland (2019–2021)
NFL draft:	2022: undrafted
Career history
Tennessee Titans (2022) San Francisco 49ers (2023)* San Francisco 49ers (2024–present)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-Big Ten (2021)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles: 46 Sacks: 3.5 Forced fumbles: 1 Pass deflections: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Sam Okuayinonu was a three-star recruit from Lowell, Massachusetts. He played defensive line for Lowell High School graduating in 2016.

College career

On January 26, 2019, Okuayinonu committed to the Maryland Football. At Maryland, Okuayinonu had a total of 90 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.^[2] After the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl, Okuayinonu declared for the draft.^[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	269 lb (122 kg)	33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.77 s	1.62 s	2.71 s	4.58 s	7.48 s	35.5 in (0.90 m)	10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)	31 reps
All values from Pro Day[3]

Tennessee Titans

Okuayinonu was not selected in the 2022 NFL draft. On April 30, 2022, he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.^[4] He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.^[5][6] He was promoted to the active roster on October 4.^[7] The Titans waived Okuayinonu on December 6, 2022, and re-signed with the practice squad.^[8] He was promoted to the active roster on December 29, then waived the next day and re-signed back to the practice squad.^[9][10]

Okuayinonu signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2023.^[11] On August 29, 2023, he was waived for final roster cuts before the start of the 2023 season.^[12] Though Okuayinonu signed with the practice squad on August 30, the next day he was released again.^[13][14]

San Francisco 49ers

On January 10, 2024, Okuayinonu was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.^[15] He signed a reserve/future contract on February 13, 2024.^[16]

Okuayinonu was waived by the 49ers on August 28, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad.^[17][18] He was promoted to the active roster on September 28.^[19]

On March 26, 2025, Okuayinonu re-signed with the 49ers.^[20]