DAVIS, Calif. – Everyone has a path to success in life, some are straight forward and some are a bit more rounded. UC Davis football senior wide receiver Samuel Gbatu, Jr., has traveled a path not many student athletes can claim, from growing up in Liberia to first playing the game of football in Japan, Gbtau Jr., has seen it all.

But thanks to the strength and discipline of his father, a member of the United States Marine Corps, Gbatu Jr., has carved out a route that has led him to Davis and a spot as one of the best receivers in the nation.
 
"Every place I've lived has played a small part in forming who I am," said Gbatu Jr. "Not one place has made me but all of my experiences have shaped who I have become. I'm lucky to have friends and family all of the world because of where I've been."
 
Gbatu Jr. was born in Monrovia, Liberia where he would spend the first 11 years of his life. There, living with his mother and family just down the road, the future Aggie did what most young African kids do, he played soccer. He also lived much like others did in that part of the world, without the amenities that kids growing up in America had. It set a foundation for Gbatu Jr., where he would be appreciative of what he has while also valuing hard work.
 
"Sam is a high character young man that connects with all of his teammates with elite communication that allows himself to be extremely consistent every day," said UC Davis football head coach Tim Plough about Gbatu Jr. "He finds joy in the process it takes to be great and holds himself to the high standards of Aggie Pride. He always keeps his poise while maintaining unwavering confidence and most importantly he shows competitive greatness by being his best when his best is needed."
 
"Growing up we had to do things like go to the gas station to get gas for our generator, to power the home," recalls Gbatu Jr. "I'd walk about 30 minutes to school and have a few other adversities but we didn't view them as adversities, it was just life as we knew it. We just didn't know any better. I'd go out and just play with my friends and walk around the community. It was a simple and enjoyable time growing up."
 
In 2008 Samuel Gbatu Sr., Gbatu Jr.'s father, made the move to the states. And while he left his family behind it was not without the goal of bringing them over to the states in due time. "I left Liberia when Sam was about five years old," remembers Gbatu Sr. "I was on a visa to be here and while looking for a career, I was introduced to the Marine Corps. and it really spoke to me."
 
Gbatu Sr., joined the Corps in 2008 and is still serving his country with honor to this day. "The Marines taught me to humble myself and to be respectful and disciplined. I've tried to pass that message onto Sam and my other kids. If you want to be great, you have to the best."
 
In 2013, after a few years of working, Gbatu Sr., was finally able to bring Gbatu Jr., over the pond and to the states. The timing was interesting as Gbatu Sr., had just gotten orders for Okinawa, Japan. But first Gbatu Jr., would spend some time outside of Washington D.C., his first introduction to the American way of life.
 
"When I came over during the fourth grade, I didn't know anything about the way of life in America," said Gbatu Jr. "I was shy and nervous, not being able to speak the best English. It was also really cold, so I had to make many adjustments."
 
Within six months of getting to the states, Gbatu Jr., was again on the move so his time getting used to the American way of life was altered. He would now get his education at Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, as his path headed toward another part of the world. Gbatu Jr., finished his fourth grade in Japan and would spend the next five years there. During which he went from playing soccer and basketball to picking up football for the first time while he was a freshman in high school.
 
He also saw how hard his father would work, fully invested in the lifestyle of being a Marine.
 
"I saw how much time my dad put into providing for me, my siblings and my step-mom," said Gbatu Jr. "It shaped me because of the discipline and mindset he showcased, it taught me respect and appreciation for everything I have."
 
Coaches at his Marine high schools in Japan saw his talent and immediately moved him to football. Starting as a running back Gbatu Jr., played his first year of football as a freshman in Japan. Games were played amongst the Marine schools, but also on the mainland against Japanese high schoolers, creating a unique brand of competition and energy that not many gridirons can showcase.
 
"We had a small team, and I was learning the game as I went," recalls Gbatu Jr. "I love playing sports, and football was something I just fell in love with. So after during my freshman year while I picked up football, I stopped playing soccer and basketball."
 
After his freshman year and his first season playing football, Gbatu Jr. again moved, this time to Temecula, Calif., where he enrolled in Temecula Valley High School and found his future spot on the football field, wide receiver. While at Temecula, Gbatu Jr., begun to flurish playing both corner and his new position wide receiver Gbatu Jr., began to make a name for himself amongst colleges. Except he didn't know that he could make a name for himself amongst colleges.
 
"I was just playing football because I loved playing sports," recalls Gbatu Jr. "I didn't even know I could go onto college and play football. But during my sophomore year my coaches told me about it, and after seeing some of my friends get offers I began to upload stuff and look into it."
 
Eventually the offers came, and as Gbatu Jr., excelled on the field his maturity off it showed.
 
"The kids loved him," said Gbatu Sr. "We would go to his games, and afterwards the young kids would come up to him looking for autographs. Sam always made time for them, and that made me proud. Because I want him to be respectful and humble, and at those moments I saw his character."
 
Gbatu Sr.'s lessons learned from the military of respect and honor has translated to Gbatu Jr., and it's part of what made him attractive to UC Davis and what make him a "Davis Guy".
 
"When I visited Davis, I immediately connected with the place and made some of my best friends here," said Gbatu Jr. "Davis provided me with a great balance of athletic competition and importance of education, and along with being a special place I knew it was where I wanted to call home for a while."
 
Since coming to Davis, Gbatu Jr., has been one of the more explosive receivers in the conference and the nation. Entering Saturday's game against Sacramento State, Gbatu Jr., has racked up 1,965 total receiving yards, made 19 touchdown receptions and has had two scoring plays of at least 85+ yards, which rank in the top 20 all-time for longest plays in program history.
 
"Sam is a special young man," added Plough. "He's special to this program, this community, and personally to my family. When you coach for a long time there will be players that leave a lasting impact on not only the program, but you as a person. Sam exemplifies everything we want this program to be about.
 
"I've cherished every moment I've had coaching Sam Gbatu and love him very much."
 
This year, Gbatu Jr., is having an All-American season, snagging 53 balls, for 822 yards and his nine touchdown receptions ranks him ninth in the nation. "Watching him play makes me so proud, his speed and how he plays the game," said Gbatu Sr. "Every time I hear the announcer call his name I can't help but smile, and thanks to him I've even grown to understand the game better. I can't help but sit back as a father and be proud of how he's grown into a young man on and off the field."
 
Part of what has helped Gbatu Jr., become so successful on the field is the Marine discipline installed in him, "It's been great seeing how hard my dad works and how much he has done for me and my family. I've really taken to the respect and discipline that he taught me and try and share that with everyone I come across."
 
Life and the Marines have taken Gbatu Jr., all over the world. From growing up in Libera to first playing football in Japan it's been an adventure. But now football has taken center stage and as the Aggies roll into the final regular season game of the year, Gbatu Jr., has his eyes on the prize of a Causeway Classic win.

But he also has eyes on where football can take him next and who he can reunite with.
 
"My ultimate goal is to bring my mom over from Libera," said Gbatu Jr. It's been since he left that he's seen his mom, and football hopefully will be an avenue for him to have a reunion over ten years in the making. "I'm going to have the biggest smile on my face when I finally see her, and I will defiantly cry," says Gbatu Jr.
 
And thanks to dad's lessons passed on from the Corps, Gbatu Jr., has kept his focus and discipline with that goal and many others in mind on a path from Liberia to Davis.
 
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