Tyshun Raequan "Deebo" Samuel was born on January 15, 1996 in Inman South Carolina. Tyshun got the nickname "Deebo" from the neighborhood bully of the 1995 movie “Friday” through his toughness and physicality.“When I was a kid, my father said I used to take stuff and like to fight when I was little, so he gave me the nickname Deebo,” Samuel explained. Deebo Samuel's story is about more than his production on the field. It's about missing a loved one and still making his dream coming true.
When Deebo was a kid he always wanted to be like his brother 'Quan. Sadly when Deebo was just a sophomore in highschool,his brother was sentenced to a year in prison for attempted burglary. Deebo was heartbroken, but he knew he could not go down the same road as his brother, so he set his mind to playing football.His dream was to one day play football on T.V. His brother was placed back in jail just 1 year after he was released. Deebo commited to the University of South Carolina, after Deebo was siged to the South Carolina Gamecocks his brother was fortunately released for the final time. On Sebtember 3, 2015 Deebo Samuel's dream finally game true; but maybe not how he had wanted it to. In the first game of the season he was returning the ball and fumbeled it on a big hit, this wasn't the worst though, he found out he had strained his hamstring causing him to be out 7 weeks! Deebo was determined to have a breakout sophomore season. But on the first play in the second game He met adversity again, and he pulled his hamstring,he thought to himself why is this happening. He did not know if he wanted to play again. As soon as he overcame that phase he worked extremely hard to come back stronger. In the first game of his Junior season against NC State, Samuel had 5 catches for 83 yards, for two touchdowns and also returned the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Then in week 2 vs. Missouri, Samuel once again returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and finished with 5 catches for 45 yards, and also ran the ball 2 times for 30 yards and a touchdown. everything was looking good for the labeled "injury prone" reviever. But then In week 3 vs. Kentucky,in the third quarter, Samuel caught a pass from Jake Bentley and was awkwardly tackled by a defender, bending his leg back. It was announced after the game by that Samuel had broken his right fibula and would miss the rest of the season. Despite the injury, it was announced that Samuel could possibly return later on in the season, but he suffered a sprained foot in rehab and would not return. Former Gamecock running back Marcus Lattimore had encouraging words for Samuel following his injury, saying "I know you are down and frustrated and you feel like your dreams are far away now. They aren’t. You can use this moment to show people how to overcome adversity, the whole state of South Carolina loves Deebo."On November 5, 2017, Samuel announced that he would be returning for his senior season.Samuel finished the 2018 season with 882 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns, his best game of the season came against Clemson where he caught 10 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. He chose not to play in the Gamecocks' bowl game, the 2018 Belk Bowl. He was later chosen to play in the 2019 Senior Bowl. "Tyshun "Deebo" Samuel lives up to his nickname and plays each game like he's stepping into an alley fight. While Samuel is tough and competitive, he lacks suddenness and might need scheme help with motion and bunch formations to help free him against NFL man coverage. He is a gamer who thrives once the ball is in his hands, and he might be able to help a team from the slot if he can stay healthy" (nfl.com). The San Fransico 49ers drafted Deebo in the second round with the 36th pick of the draft hoping to add a tough and competetive wide reviever to improve their passing attack. “He’s got the speed as much as some of the top receivers in the draft. He’s got the stuff that are as good as anyone’s, but what separates Deebo – and Jalen (Hurd) – we thought they were the two most physical players out of all the receivers in the draft. You don’t want to draft a receiver just because he’s physical, but when you can have the speed and 40 that Deebo has with his hands and route-running, along with the physicality” – 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. 49ers John Lynch explained “Turn the game tape on and you see one of the elite competitors in college football this year that I saw. This guy, you’re going to have to fight him, and he’s going to fight for yards. I think that type of play is contagious. He’s got real juice. He can catch the ball and break away".Samuel was watching the draft with his family, as seen in a video posted by Bleacher Report ( "Deebo Samuel Draft Party Video"). The family erupts in cheer after Samuel's name was called, then Samuel shared hugs with others in the room. It was an emotional moment for Deebo Samuel Friday night as he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
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