On Saturday, the Philadelphia Stars signed former Montana wide receiver Samuel Akem. The 24-year-old from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, caught 49 passes for 689 yards and seven touchdowns for Montana in 2021.
Akem played five seasons at Montana (2017-21) with 191 catches for 2,711 yards and 29 touchdowns. He became the only wide receiver in Montana history to finish among the top five in career pass receptions (191), total receiving yards (2,711), and total touchdown catches (29).
In the 2021 FCS playoffs against Eastern Washington, Akem caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in a 57-41 win in the second round. James Madison would eliminate Montana in the quarterfinals.
His 29 touchdowns tied Marc Mariani’s school record for touchdown catches. In 2019, he was named Second-team All-Big Sky, and in 2018 was named Second-team All-Big Sky Conference.
The Philadelphia Stars finished the 2022 USFL season with a 6-4 record and beat the New Jersey Generals in the semifinals before losing the USFL championship game 33-30 to the Birmingham Stallions. Current Stars head coach Bart Andrus played college football as a quarterback at Montana in 1979 and 1980.
