. . . Sammy often has an infectious smile on his face. He might smack talk with Griz defenders, but if he gets beat, he’d give the defender props. Then it’s time to line it up and go at it again. As Sammy’s career at UM winds down, he’s already proven people wrong over the years and leaves a legacy on and off the field. His most visible impact is becoming one of only three receivers in UM history to be ranked in the top eight of each of the three major receiving categories. “I never imagined that I would do the things that I’ve done at Montana,” he said. “I always put in the work. I was always a hard worker. I always loved the game. Just to look up and see that I’m top 10, that’s just mind-blowing to me.”
Growing up
One of Akem’s biggest learning curves at Montana came before he got on the football field.
He posted a 3.0 grade-point average his first semester but struggled with academics the next two semesters. He improved his study habits with the help of his girlfriend, Jordan Dillon, going with her to the library every Sunday to study and learning the importance of not cramming for exams. “There’s nobody here holding your hand, and I just don’t feel like high school prepares you for that,” he said. “To get to college and realize that this is on you, and you’re going to succeed or fail on you, I think that’s one of the biggest obstacles I’ve realized.” Growing up, Sammy’s parents stressed academics and never pushed sports on him and his siblings. His parents are each the first in their families to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree.
His father came from Cameroon, became a teacher after getting his bachelor's degree in mathematics, then got a civil engineering master's degree and is working in the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Both his father and mother made college a priority for their kids; Sammy was fortunate enough to have it fully paid by an athletic scholarship. “That’s something that molded me as a kid where I didn’t really have to see sports as my way out or emulate that I want to be this big sports star,” he said. “Every kid has that in the back of his mind. But to say that was something I wanted to be, it wasn’t really my path. I just saw it as something I loved to do, something that was fun and I was going to do it as long as I could.”
Over the years, Sammy had heard people say that success or failure is based on the individual and his/her willingness to put in the necessary time. But it wasn’t something he really understood until he was on his own in college. “You can’t point the finger, you can’t play the blame game, you just have to do the work,” he said. “If you want to succeed, it’s going to be all on you. You have to do that. If you put your mind to something, know that you can achieve it. But it’s not going to be easy. Nobody’s going to hand you anything, so you have to go take what you want and be willing to work for it.”
