Husker Dan: The Underdog Story of Samori Touré

Nebraska receiver’s selection in draft caps unlikely journey to NFL

Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Most sports fans like to root for the underdog, especially if they don't have a dog in the fight. It makes sense. David needs all the support he can get to take down Goliath.

Such might be the case with former Husker wide receiver Samori Touré. As most Husker fans know by now, Touré was chosen in the seventh round of the NFL draft Saturday as the 258th overall pick.

When there are only 262 possible slots, coming in at No. 258 might not look too great. But consider the route Touré took to get to this point.

Samori grew up in Portland, Oregon and attended Westview High, where he played three years at receiver for the Wildcats.

A glance at his high school stats likely won't impress too many college coaches. (Touré played in only three games his senior year.)

Through his three years at Westview, his stats were: 14 games played, 53 receptions for 1,008 yards, 19.0 average per catch with 11 receiving touchdowns.

Not very impressive numbers. It's no wonder few colleges came after him. But he did get offers from Georgetown, Air Force and a half scholarship to play for the University of Montana Grizzlies.

He picked Montana. He redshirted in 2016 and the next year he played in 11 games and had 31 receptions for 533 yards and five receiving touchdowns.

After is junior year and despite his success at Montana, Samori had a big decision to make: Should he stay with the Grizzlies and hope he could do what Cooper Kupp did with the LA Rams and stay at an FCS school? (Kupp played at Eastern Washington-an FCS school.) Or should Touré transfer to a Power Five school to see how he might stack up against much better competition?

With only one year of college eligibility remaining, Touré decided to roll the dice. It was a big gamble. He would get only one roll of the dice. No second chance.

He put everything on the line. He entered the transfer portal. When he learned the Huskers were looking for somebody to replace Wan'Dale Robinson, who decided to transfer to Kentucky after the 2020 season, Touré made his move.

The Husker coaches were impressed enough to offer him a scholarship. And with that, Samori became a Husker.

When Touré left the Grizzlies, his career legacy was: 155 catches for 2,488 yards and 20 career touchdowns. The question was, could he replicate those numbers in a Power Five conference like the Big Ten?

As we all know, the answer is yes. In his one and only year at Nebraska, Touré had 46 catches for 898 yards and had five receiving touchdowns. Not bad.

His year at Nebraska showed NFL scouts he could play with the big boys. That led to his getting drafted Saturday.

The added good news is that Touré was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. He'll be catching passes from Aaron Rodgers. Yes, that Aaron Rodgers! Nice work, Mr. Touré!

His underdog role will likely continue for a while, but probably not for long.

How ’Bout Them Huskers

In this week's podcast, grandson Will and I talk about the NFL draft, the Husker players who were picked and those who weren't. Thanks to all of you who have been listening. You may send your podcast questions to me at HuskerDan@cox.net. Here's the podcast link. 

Touré gallery

Nebraska Athletics

Touré had a big day against Buffalo.

Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Touré with a catch against Michigan.

Nebraska Athletics photo

Touré makes a catch against Illinois.

Nebraska Athletics photo

Touré fights for yardage against Iowa.

Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports

Touré in action against Wisconsin.

Nebraska Athletic Communications

Touré breaks free against Northwestern.

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