Hello and welcome to the fourth edition of Boston College Eagles On SI’s ranking of BC football’s top 20 players for the 2026 season, Bill O’Brien’s third as head coach.
The first three players consisted of a returning offensive lineman, a transfer wide receiver, and a returning defensive lineman.
This next player is expected to make a substantial difference in the trenches defensively as well, and he transferred in this offseason from a fellow ACC school.
Without further ado…
No. 17: Redshirt Junior DL KJ Sampson
Out of several additions to BC’s defensive frontline through the portal, the former Florida State Seminole may possess the most untapped potential of the bunch.
A consensus four-star recruit out of New Bern High School who was rated the fifth overall prospect from North Carolina, 247Sports justifiably ranked Sampson the No. 86 overall transfer prospect this cycle, so he was quite the get for first-year general manager Kenyatta Watson and company.
Sampson never got the chance to make a steady impact in Tallahassee, where he spent most of his time as a reserve, but he showed promising flashes, and that translated to decent production for a player who didn’t regularly see the field.
For instance, this past season, Sampson appeared in 10 games with no starts, but he churned out 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, which are respectable quantities for a defensive tackle.
Sampson’s 6-foot-3, 305-pound frame isn’t anything that makes him stand out like another one of BC’s new D-lineman — soon to be named in this list — but he made himself a noticeable presence in the trenches this spring with a combination of vicious upper-body strength and high-end mobility, the latter of which is a rarer attribute for players at that position.
Yes, he wasn’t a clear-cut starter at his former program, but of all the transfers that BC inherited this year, 27 in total, Sampson is one that truly boasts high-major experience at a program that is historically dominant in college football — not just in the ACC.
It will be interesting to see how Ted Roof, BC’s first-year defensive coordinator, ends up settling on which players start at the defensive tackle and end positions, but Sampson will surely be in the mix no matter what, especially at the beginning of the season as much of the younger players and mid-major transfers adjust to the level of play in the ACC.
As I mentioned in the previous article of this series, on defensive edge Onye Nwosisi, the Eagles’ D-line must have a resurgence after mustering very little production as a unit in 2025, and Sampson is unquestionably a player who the staff confidently feel can help turn the page in that department.
Meet the Player: KJ Sampson
Position: Defensive Line
Year: Redshirt Junior
Hometown: New Bern, N.C.
High School, Former School: New Bern, Florida State
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 305 lbs.
Additional info: Sampson was a four-year All-State and All-Conference selection in high school who recorded 255 tackles with 47.0 TFLs, 31.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception in his prep career. He was named North Carolina’s defensive prep player of the year as a senior.
This is the fourth story in Boston College Eagles On SI’s summer preview series of Boston College football’s top 20 players (and honorable mentions) heading into the program’s third year under head coach Bill O’Brien. Ensuing stories will be published throughout July and August.
Top 20:
17. R-Jr. DL KJ Sampson
18. R-Sr. DL Onye Nwosisi
19. R-Jr. WR Reed Swanson
20. R-Jr. C Michael Crounse
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