Sampson James homeless story turns on an IU backpack in Austin

Sampson James homeless in Austin, Texas, was not a story Jasper Steinmetz expected to find while walking on a trail near downtown. But Steinmetz, a recent Indiana University graduate, spotted the old IU athletic backpack James was carrying and stopped to talk, according to CBS News and The Indianapolis Star.

That shared school connection set off a chain of help for James, a former Indiana running back whose college football path had been derailed before he wound up without housing.

Who is Sampson James and how did Jasper Steinmetz help him?

James was a four-star recruit from Avon High School in Indiana when he joined the Hoosiers as a freshman running back in 2019, CBS News reported. He transferred to Purdue in 2021, then briefly returned to Indiana as a walk-on in 2023.

CBS reported that James later suffered a serious knee injury, received a bipolar-disorder diagnosis and left IU in 2023 without graduating. The network said he eventually lost his possessions, apart from the red Indiana backpack that caught Steinmetz's eye.

Steinmetz had graduated from IU in May and moved to Austin, The Indianapolis Star reported. Seeing the school bag on the trail gave him an opening to approach James, who was also originally from Indiana.

After learning more about James, Steinmetz began an online fundraiser in June. CBS News reported that it raised $17,000. The Daily Hoosier had earlier reported that the effort had brought in more than $16,000 as of June 7 and that Steinmetz had helped James obtain clothing, food and other essentials.

CBS said supporters later prepaid rent and helped secure an apartment equipped with the items James needed. The housing help was reported separately from the fundraising total; CBS did not specify which funds paid for particular expenses.

What happened after the fundraiser?

By June 25, James had signed a one-year lease for a new apartment, according to The Indianapolis Star. The paper reported that he signed the lease shortly before speaking with a reporter at the Austin Public Library.

The updates establish a new place to live, not a permanent outcome. No reporting in the available accounts establishes James's employment, treatment or longer-term circumstances.

For Steinmetz, the starting point was a familiar logo in an unfamiliar setting. For James, the worn backpack became a link to a fellow Hoosier who chose to stop and ask a question.

Readers can view CBS News' report on James and Steinmetz for the original account of their meeting and the support that followed.

This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.