Deebo Samuel separated himself from the crowd long before he arrived in Santa Clara.
But it took hard work, perseverance and sometimes getting called out for his lax behavior to get there.
Mark Hodge, Samuel’s high school coach at Chapman High School in Inman, South Carolina, remembers the first time Samuel walked onto the field.
“He came in late,” Hodge said. “I told him he wasn’t the best player I had coached.”
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 25: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during pregame warmups before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Levis Stadium on December 25, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
This may have been true at the time, as Hodge coached a handful of NFL players before Samuel. It’s something the two now joke about.
Samuel has far exceeded Hodge’s initial expectations.
Deebo Samuel with his high school football coach, Mark Hodge on the sideline of a San Francisco 49ers football game.
Samuel has become one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL, racking up nearly 900 receiving yards and scoring seven touchdowns, on a San Francisco Forty Niners squad poised to make a run for the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy.
But even in the NFL, Samuel has admitted he has struggled to stay on track at times.
Samuel called his 2022 performance “awful” and said he was in the worst shape of his life.
In the off-season, he worked hard, as he did in high school, to find his stride.
On a Wednesday night in an interview from their kitchen table, Hodge and his family spoke to KTVU about watching Samuel figure out how to find his way.
Deebo Samuel at his home with his son Deebo Samuel Jr, and Mark Hodge, Samuel’s high school football coach
Hodge started coaching Samuel in his junior year.
Hodge said Samuel became the hardest worker he has ever coached– on and off the field.
“There were times when he didn’t have internet, so I would pick him up he would sit in my office and do his papers.”
Hodge said Samuel was an A-and-B student.
But while he excelled on the field and in the classroom, Hodge said Samuel’s personality is what’s made him shine.
Hodge’s wife, Dana, said Samuel is loving and genuine with a smile you won’t forget.
He also has a self admitted sweet tooth.
At Hodge’s desk, where Samuel would frequently do homework, he found Hodge’s candy drawer, which was previously solely reserved for his three kids.
Today, Hodge still FaceTimes Samuel before nearly every game, alongside his youngest son, Joshua, 16, and Ruthie, 9, who may just be Samuel’s biggest supporter.
“He used to be my boyfriend,” Ruthie said with her hands on her cheeks and a grin from ear to ear. “I dressed up like him for Halloween.”
Ruthie Hodge dressed up as Deebo Samuel for Halloween.
Ruthie was three when Samuel went to college, but upon meeting him for the first time she was enamored with him.
When Samuel had ankle surgery in college, Ruthie insisted on sending him her favorite rhino stuffed animal– she let him keep it even after he recovered.
When Samuel returned home for visits, the two colored together and played catch.
Ruthie admitted Samuel is a better football player than an artist.
As the clock ticks closer to kickoff, Ruthie has a message for her favorite football player.
Deebo Samuel and Ruthie Hodge.
“I love you,” Ruthie said and then after a long pause added, “I’m proud of you.”
And her dad has one for Coach Kyle Shanahan.
“In y’all playoff loss you (Samuel) didn’t get the ball,” Hodge said. “In the fourth quarter that’s what I would say remind him (Shanahan) to feed you in the end.”