Yoon a big deal for Loyola line
The senior tackle has grown into a force with a nasty streak as he excels in classroom.
The Cubs’ senior offensive tackle is a straight-A student and nice guy but carries a mean streak once the ball is snapped.
Fourth in a series of stories profiling top players by position. Today, Sam Yoon, Loyola offensive lineman.
The combination of a father who was born in Korea and a mother who’s part Irish and Polish has resulted in a 6-foot-4, 290-pound teenager who dead lifts more than 500 pounds, has never received a grade other than A in high school and plays offensive tackle as if it were the most important position on a football field.
“My mom will always say a big factor in my size would be consumption of milk,” said senior Sam Yoon of Los Angeles Loyola. “I would go through several gallons growing up.”
It’s easy to find positive things to say about Yoon, who has a 4.8 grade-point average, was elected student body president and had one student say on Twitter, “He’s the nicest student on campus.”
But nice doesn’t get you anywhere in the football trenches except being pushed back on your butt. Yoon didn’t start playing tackle football until his freshman year. That’s when he had to get comfortable using his size to dish out punishment as a blocker.
“I remember a big, athletic kid who just hadn’t played before,” coach Drew Casani said. “Like any firstyear guy, it’s getting used to pads and helmets and the physicalness of the game. We could tell right away he was going to be athletic and strong. It was how tough he would be. Now he’s finishing guys and has a little nasty streak in him.”
Yoon could always watch film of his father, Ed, an undersized lineman at Beverly Hills High, on how to scrap and hustle. It’s rubbed off on him.
“I’m relentless,” he said. “Between the whistle I will not stop. I never trash talk anybody and I’m conscious about being a good sport. During the play, I’m not your friend.”
Yoon is like a sponge with everything he’s taught in the classroom, which helps explain how he received A’s in Advanced Placement English, AP U.S. History, AP Chemistry and Honors Latin III on his last report card. He scored 1,550 on the SAT out of 1,600.
In football, he also listens.
“Our coaches always talk about we’re the most underappreciated and under-recognized but we do [the] most important job on the field,” he said.
Protecting the quarterback and creating opportunities for running backs certainly make Yoon a player to watch. He has made steady progress each season and there’s every reason to think his best days are ahead. During the summer, after Loyola’s five-game spring season, college offers starting rolling in from Pac-12 schools such as UCLA, USC and California.
“I have no doubt he can play at next level,” Casani said. “He has the work ethic and intelligence and competitiveness of a guy who can really play for a long time.”
Casani remembers having Yoon in a freshman P.E. class, and Yoon was determined to be the best P.E. participant in ultimate Frisbee and badminton.
“I believe doing is the best form of learning,” Yoon said.