NJDuck Moderator No. 1 Share Posted April 6 Less than a week after losing Carlos Locklyn to Ohio State, Oregon has zeroed in on a top target to replace him as the Ducks' running backs coach. Arizona State's Ra'Shaad Samples has emerged as a target for Oregon's running backs coach opening, sources tell 247Sports. Before being hired as Arizona State[s pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach last year, the now 29-year old Samples was the youngest running backs coach in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams after stints as a running backs coach at SMU and TCU. "When you think of Coach Samples, this is a guy who's been an assistant head coach in college football from the time he was 26," Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said last year. "He's been the youngest position coach in the NFL." "This guy will be the youngest head coach in college football someday. It will happen. There is no doubt in my mind he's going to be. He's ready for it. He could go run a program today. I don't know if somebody is going to hire somebody that young. … But if somebody did, they could hire him today and he'd go run a football program." In addition to being regarded as one of the nation's top recruiters, Samples helped Arizona State wide receiver Elijhah Badger earn All-Pac 12 honorable mention recognition last season and helped Ulysses Bentley become a Freshman All-American running back at SMU in 2020. "He's a young dude, but he has a presence," Dillingham said of Samples last year. "He has leadership. He's not a young dude where everyday kids walk over him. He's a guy who has kids in the meeting rooms with him early. He's a guy who is hard on guys. He's a guy who has a standard." Arizona State's Ra'Shaad Samples a target for Oregon running backs coach job 247SPORTS.COM Less than a week after losing Carlos Locklyn to Ohio State, Oregon has zeroed in on a top target to replace him as the Ducks' running backs coach. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 2 Share Posted April 6 With receiver coaching experience that helps the runningback position as well. Gotta catch balls out of the backfield to be an effective back these days. Beyond that I can't help but think Samples would also be a good hire if the Ducks lose Adams at some point. They did renew Adam's contract for only a year. It gives Lanning flexibility potentially down the road with his coaching staff. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCDuck1 No. 3 Share Posted April 6 On 4/6/2024 at 12:45 PM, NJDuck said: NJDuck stated, "Arizona State's Ra'Shaad Samples has emerged as a target for Oregon's running backs coach opening, sources tell 247Sports." "... the now 29-year old Samples was the youngest running backs coach in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams after stints as a running backs coach at SMU and TCU. "When you think of Coach Samples, this is a guy who's been an assistant head coach in college football from the time he was 26," Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said last year. "He's been the youngest position coach in the NFL." "This guy will be the youngest head coach in college football someday. It will happen. There is no doubt in my mind he's going to be. He's ready for it. He could go run a program today. I don't know if somebody is going to hire somebody that young. … But if somebody did, they could hire him today and he'd go run a football program." In addition to being regarded as one of the nation's top recruiters... . "He's a young dude, but he has a presence," Dillingham said of Samples last year. "He has leadership. He's not a young dude where everyday kids walk over him. He's a guy who has kids in the meeting rooms with him early. He's a guy who is hard on guys. He's a guy who has a standard." NJDuck, Coach Samples sounds very good to me. I hated losing Coach Locklyn to Ohio State, but Locklyn's loss & hire speaks to the high quality of the current Duck coaches. Samples may only be with us as the RB coach for a year or two, but his description is loaded with value-added terms. This is the right kind of coach for the Ducks - iron sharpens iron - a coach who teaches the RBs to be leaders in their thinking, Prep, and on the field. Isn't that exactly what we want all our Duck coaches to exemplify? If only the Ducks' women's BB head coach could be so. ;-)) VR, KCDuck1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake Moderator No. 4 Share Posted April 6 Every time a new assistant gets hired the average age of our coaching staff drops. I am not familiar with the young man, but I am thinking the recruiting part sounds good. The younger coaches work hard to make a name for themselves. Locklyn may be a loss, but there are several highly qualified coaches that would love to have Oregon listed on the coaching resume. Btw…don’t let the door hit you in the (_) (_) on the way to buckeye land. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 5 Share Posted April 6 I am surprised that Lanning would try to poach one of Dilly's coaches... 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 6 Share Posted April 6 On 4/6/2024 at 11:36 AM, Charles Fischer said: I am surprised that Lanning would try to poach one of Dilly's coaches... I think they know and respect each other enough to know this is a business. Also there's the fact that now Oregon sits in a top tier conference whereas the Big 12 is clearly a second rare conference. This is a promotion situation, not a side step. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudslide No. 7 Share Posted April 6 I'm still a friendly advocate for Lock's job going to Newland Isaac. He's a young, up-and-coming guy with a BA and a Masters degree and an impeccable running game assistant resume. Below I'll summarize a post I made in another thread. After helping guide Coastal Carolina to unprecedented success during the past half-decade, Newland Isaac joins Liberty’s coaching staff as the Flames’ Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Coach for the 2023 season. The Ducks were second in the nation for total offense last year. Isaac's Liberty Flames was 4th in total offense and led the nation in rushing yards per game. I don't know about his recruiting chops. But his record is remarkable. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Named the 2021 AFCA FBS Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Isaac was promoted to co-offensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina in February 2019. As well as being named the 2021 AFCA FBS Assistant Coach of the Year, Isaac was also a Broyles Award nominee. As the co-offensive coordinator during his final four seasons at Coastal Carolina, Isaac helped the Chants go from 5-7 in 2019 to 11-1 in 2020, 11-2 in 2021 and 9-4 in 2022. In each of his last four seasons, the offense has also ranked in the top-10 nationally in all of FBS in multiple statistical categories. In 2021, the Coastal offense outscored all their opponents 532-281 on the season, including totaling 100-plus points in each quarter on the year. Coastal Carolina was one of only four teams to rank in the top 25 in both total offense (5th) and total defense (25th), one of only seven teams nationally to rank in the top 30 in both most first downs on offense (25th) and fewest first downs allowed on defense (27th), and one of only eight teams to rank in the top-25 in both scoring offense (5th) and scoring defense (25th). Under Isaac’s watch, the offense also finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in average yards per rush on the season (5.84 ypr) and in third-down conversion percentage (53.8 percent). The Chants were also second nationally in yards per play on offense (7.74 ypp) and ranked fourth nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage (76.9 percent). On the ground in the running attack, the Chants ended the season ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing offense (228.8 ypg) and in rushing touchdowns (36), as senior running back Shermari Jones ranked No. 8 nationally in rush yards per carry (6.54) and No. 24 nationally in rushing touchdowns (13). The offense also finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally in scoring offense (40.9 ppg) and was one of only five FBS schools to average over 40 points per game on the season. In 2020, the Chanticleers won the program’s first-ever Sun Belt Conference title, posted an 11-1 overall mark, including an 8-0 Sun Belt Conference record, and played in the program’s first-ever FBS postseason bowl game. The 2020 season marked Coastal Carolina’s first-ever undefeated regular season and the first time that the Chanticleers were ranked in either the Associated Press Top 25 Poll or the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports. Overall, the offense in 2020 led the conference in scoring offense (37.2 points per game), third-down conversion percentage (52.3 percent), fourth-down conversion percentage (76.5 percent), time of possession (33:50), completion percentage (66.6 percent), fewest interceptions thrown (5), and team passing efficiency (177.72). In his first season as co-offensive coordinator in 2019, the Coastal Carolina offense recorded over 400 yards of total offense five times, including a season-high 636 yards in the road win at UMass. The Chants were 23-for-29 (79.3 percent) on fourth-down attempts which was the second-best percentage both nationally and in the Sun Belt, while the 23 fourth-down conversions were tied for the third-most nationally behind only Army and Navy with 26. In his first season at Coastal Carolina in 2018, the Chants’ offense led the Sun Belt and ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing yards per game, red-zone offense, time of possession, first downs, and both third and fourth-down conversion percentage for much of the season. CCU finished the year ranked in the top 10 nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage (68.8), fewest penalties (52), fewest penalties per game (4.33), and fewest penalty yards (493). In the summer of 2018, Isaac was selected to participate in the 2018 NCAA-NFL Coaches Academy which provides current, full-time college football coaches at NCAA member schools and some former NFL athletes the opportunity to expand their knowledge and insight into the world of college football coaching. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonDucks No. 8 Share Posted April 7 Coach Samples is certainly intriguing candidate and I can see why Coach Lanning is interested. However, if his goal is to become a HC soon, then he might be better off at ASU as passing game coordinator and WR Coach until someone comes calling for an OC job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCDuck1 No. 9 Share Posted April 7 Mudslide, OK, Looks like you may have found another viable candidate - Newland Isaac - for RB Coach consideration. Let's see what Coach Lanning says. VR, KCDuck1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
