Luke Wattenbarger brings veteran safety savvy and ball skills to Samford
In the 2025 season, Samford safety Luke Wattenbarger played in 12 games and recorded 1 tackle and 1 interception, after logging 3 tackles and 1 pass breakup in 7 games in 2024[7][10]. The bigger story is his trajectory: he arrived with a productive junior-college background, including 42 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and an interception as a freshman at Bakersfield College, and he showed up in Samford’s 2025 bowl-season push with a 30-yard pick return against Austin Peay[10][12]. He looks like a steady, experienced DB who can handle space, read quarterbacks, and bring a grown-man presence to the back end[10][12].
