Sample attended Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California, where he was teammates with Viliami Moala and Shaq Thompson on the football team. As a junior, he was named first-team All-Metro and a PrepStarAll-American as he helped lead Grant to a 12–1 record, totaling 111 tackles. He recorded 109 tackles as a senior at Grant, being named a high school All-American and was voted to participate in the U.S. Army All-America Bowl. He was also named first-team All-CIF San Joaquin Section, first-team All-Metro by the Sacramento Bee, first-team All-Delta Valley Conference, and first-team All-NorCal by NorCalPreps.com. He was dubbed a third-team All-state performer by ESPN.com in 2011.
Also a standout in track & field Sample was a state qualifier sprinter. At Grant Union High School, he posted personal-best times of 11.1 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 23.37 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He was also a member of the 4 × 100 m squad.
Sample attended Washington from 2011 to 2012. After playing in five games over two years, Sample left Washington and transferred to American River College.[2] After one year at American River College, he transferred to the University of Louisville in 2014.[3][4] He played in 13 games, recording 90 tackles and four interceptions. After the season, he entered the 2015 NFL draft, forgoing his senior year.[5][6]
Sample was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the 104th overall pick.[7] He played in four games with two starts his rookie year before suffering a shoulder injury in Week 4, keeping him out the rest of the season. On August 30, 2016, Sample was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.[8] On August 6, 2017, Sample was released by the Jaguars.[9]
Washington Redskins
On January 1, 2018, Sample signed a reserve/future contract with the Washington Redskins.[10] He was released on April 30, 2018.[11]
Toronto Argonauts
Sample signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on January 27, 2020.[12] He signed a contract extension with the team on December 21, 2020.[13] He was placed on the suspended list on July 10, 2021.[14] On May 12, 2022, the Argonauts placed Sample on the retired list.[15] He never made an appearance for Toronto.