Imagine making an NFL roster, having never played a full football game. It may sound impossible, but that's what one local athlete is hoping to do.
Philadelphia native Sam Salz attended Jewish day schools and never had the opportunity to play organized football. His high school, Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Merion Station, Montgomery County, doesn't have a football program.
"When the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018," Salz said, "it was a real awakening, slash reawakening."
Thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles, football became Salz's passion.
"I walk everywhere in Philly with a football," he said. "You've got to create it. Got to dress for the job you want."
"What position do short guys play in the NFL?"
But now knowing all of the positions, Salz — just 5-foot-6 — wasn't sure which job he wanted.
"I just typed into the search bar, 'What position do short guys play in the NFL?'" Salz said. "It said running back."
While at Texas A&M University in 2022, Salz had a crazy idea.
"I'm going to walk on to the Texas A&M football team," Salz said.
With no football experience or contacts, Salz said he went to live podcast tapings of then-head coach Jimbo Fisher.
"I got up to him, and I said, 'Coach, my name is Sam Salz, and I'm going to walk on the football team,'" Salz said. "He looked me in the eyes and said, 'I'd be honored.' I was like, 'Wow, I met Jimbo Fisher.'"
Walking on at Texas A&M without trying out
Tryouts were canceled due to a full roster, but Salz worked out where the team could see him. Finally, when an opportunity knocked, he was ready and walked on without trying out.
"I was so excited," Salz said. "I went to synagogue, and I put on a suit to pray the afternoon prayer."
Sam Salz Texas A&M
Sam Salz of the Texas A&M Aggies warms up prior to the TaxAct Texas Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2023, in Houston. Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
Tony Fulton, a performance trainer, said Salz's work ethic is "off the charts."
But Salz couldn't be on the field for most games because he observes the Sabbath, which requires no work from sundown on Friday until Saturday night.
"My faith is what propelled me to where I am," Salz said. "Showing the kids that I grew up with that you don't have to sacrifice your faith to be successful."
Salz, who made the Aggies as a wide receiver, didn't see the field in his junior season in 2023 and saw some snaps on special teams in A&M's 38-3 win over New Mexico State on Nov. 16, 2024.
"It's showing I'm proud of who I am"
"His faith is strong," Rabbi Yochonon Goldman said, "and when you have principles that you really believe in, it's not necessary to compromise your principles in order to live in the modern world."
Salz could only join the team for Saturday night games and only got in for one play, but he always made sure to wear his yarmulke.
"It's showing I'm proud of who I am," Salz said. "The world respects somebody who respects themselves."
Texas Bowl DePelchin
Texas A&M football player Sam Salz gives instruction to a child from the DePelchin Children's Center during a drill on Dec. 26, 2023, at NRG Stadium in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Salz said some agents don't understand his conviction.
"When I told him about the Sabbath, he hung up and ghosted me," Salz said of one agent.
While the odds may be long, his dream is to play on an NFL team.
"God wants to make sure that the investment that you asked him to give you is not going to be thrown away at the first sign of resistance," Salz said.
If you know of an athlete or coach that you want to see on Hometown Hustle, you can email Krystle Rich at hometownhustle@cbs.com.
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