Minnesota is giving Michigan State center Nick Samac a new home, and with it comes another stop in a young NFL career that has already changed course more than once.
The Vikings claimed Samac off waivers a day after Carolina let him go, the team announced. Samac had spent his second pro season with the Panthers last fall and appeared in 11 games for them in 2025.
Samac, 25, entered the league as a Baltimore draft pick in 2024, going 228th overall. That path never really got off the ground in Baltimore, though, because he was dealing with an injury from November of his final season at Michigan State and arrived in the NFL less than 100%. He never suited up for the Ravens.
A native of Mentor, Ohio, Samac was Michigan State’s lone draft pick in 2024. That kept the program’s then-active streak going for a third straight year after its 80-year run with at least one player selected had been snapped in 2021. The streak has since reached five years.
Carolina added Samac during the 2025 season and used him mostly on special teams.
Now he lands in Minnesota, where he joins an offensive line group that carried eight players on its initial 53-man roster.
Samac was one of several Spartans moved on Sunday as teams finalized their initial rosters. Two Michigan State products have already found practice-squad spots: tight end Jack Velling and linebacker Jacoby Windmon. And the Spartans had two players come off the board in April’s draft, with center Matt Gulbin going to the Washington Commanders and punter Ryan Eckley landing with the Baltimore Ravens.
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That uncertainty has pushed the Spartans toward a rotation, with Charles Taplin, Rodney Bullard Jr., KK Smith and Fredrick Moore all in the mix for snaps as the staff tries to settle on its best combination. With several transfers and freshmen expected to contribute, the final shape of the group may not be fully clear until the games start, which makes this one of the more interesting spots to watch when Michigan State opens the year. [Read more 🡒]