Ra'Shaad Samples

Ra'Shaad Samples (born December 11, 1994) is an American football coach who is currently the Assistant Head Coach and Running Backs coach at the University of Oregon. He previously served as running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams for part of a season. A native of Dallas, Texas. He previously served as the assistant head coach at SMU for 2 seasons (2019-2021).^[1]

Ra'Shaad Samples

Oregon Ducks
Position:	Assistant Head Coach & Running Backs Coach
Personal information
Born:	(1994-12-11) December 11, 1994 (age 29) Dallas, Texas
Career information
High school:	Skyline (Dallas, Texas)
College:	Oklahoma State Houston
Career history
As a coach:
Houston (2016–2017) Student assistant Texas (2018) Assistant wide receivers coach SMU (2019) Offensive assistant SMU (2020) Running backs coach & recruiting coordinator SMU (2021) Assistant head coach & running backs coach Los Angeles Rams (2022) Running backs coach Arizona State (2023–2024) Wide receivers coach & passing game coordinator

Playing career

Samples was a former four-star wide receiver at Oklahoma State who later transferred to play at Houston.^[2] His playing career was cut short when he was forced to medically retire due to suffering a number of concussions.^[3]

Coaching career

SMU

Samples was hired as an offensive assistant at SMU in 2019, serving as the program's top recruiter rather coaching a position.^[4] He was officially promoted to running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 2020, and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2021.^[5][6]

Texas Christian University

In late 2021, Samples left SMU and was announced as the assistant head coach and running backs coach for TCU, joining new head coach Sonny Dykes.^[7]

Los Angeles Rams

Around three months after joining the staff at TCU, Samples left for the NFL to become the Los Angeles Rams running backs coach for the 2022 season in March 2021.^[8]

Arizona State University

After 6 months with the Rams, Samples left the Rams before the end of the 2022 season to return to college as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Arizona State for the 2023 season. ^[9]

University of Oregon

After the 2023 season with Arizona State University, Samples left Arizona State to join Oregon as running backs coach and assistant head coach in April 2024.^[10]

References

1. "Led by star recruiter Ra'Shaad Samples, SMU is a destination on the rise". ESPN. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
2. "Former OSU receiver Ra'shaad Samples tweets he's headed to Houston". Tulsa World. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
3. "Concussions end playing career of UH's Ra'Shaad Samples". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
4. "SMU brought Ra'Shaad Samples home to be its ace Dallas recruiter. He wants to show he can be a great coach, too". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
5. "SMU's Ra'Shaad Samples reflects on taking over as running backs coach". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
6. SMU Football [@SMU_Football] (March 1, 2021). "New title who this? 😏 @RashaadSamples has been promoted to Running Backs/Assistant Head Coach" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. Lewis, Barry (2021-12-12). "TCU Football: Introducing more of the New Staff". Sports Illustrated TCU Killer Frogs News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
8. Epstein, Jori. "Rams RBs coach Ra'Shaad Samples is the youngest position coach in the NFL. His goal: Create lanes". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
9. https://news.asu.edu/20221209-sun-devil-football-tabs-rashaad-samples-wr-coachpassing-game-coord
10. "Oregon football hires former NFL and ASU assistant Ra'Shaad Samples as running backs coach". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 2024-04-10.

External links

• Ra'Shaad Samples on Twitter
• SMU Mustangs profile
• Arizona State profile