Jeff's father, Sam Samardzija, was a semi-professional hockey player, and his older brother, Sam Samardzija Jr., Jeff's current agent, was an All State football and baseball player who attended Indiana University and is now a sports agent in Major League Baseball [REF].
Samardzija grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he attended Valparaiso High School, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.