The Los Angeles Rams are expected to hire Ra’Shaad Samples as the team’s running backs coach for the 2022 season, as One3 Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported:
One of the best young coaches in college football is set to head to the NFL with the Super Bowl champions.
Los Angeles Rams set to hire TCU’s Ra’Shaad Samples as new running backs coach, sources say @on3sports.https://t.co/k5bN5NhJoE
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) March 4, 2022
It was previously reported that Thomas Brown, who is now the Rams’ tight ends coach after coaching running backs the previous two seasons, would lead the search for his replacement.
Samples was hired by Sonny Dykes to join the TOS coaching staff in November 2021 – overseeing the running back position and serving as assistant head coach. Prior to joining TCU, Samples served as an offensive assistant at SMU for three seasons – earning promotions each year:
2019 – Offensive assistant and top scout in the program
2020 – Running Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
2021 – Running backs coach and assistant head coach
Samples is 27, which means he will likely be younger than many of the players he coaches. Sony Michel, who started the second half of the regular season for LA but is now an unrestricted free agent, is also 27.
Just 10 years ago, Ra’Shaad Samples was a four-star Skyline recruit.
In 2018, he got his first college job as a campus recruiter and assistant WR coach in Texas.
Next season, at the age of 27, he will be the RB coach for the LA Rams, per @mzenitz. What an ascent.
—Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) March 4, 2022
When hired at TCU in November 2021, The SB Nation Frogs O’ War site had the following to say about the samples – what should excite Rams fans for the young coach:
The sample stock has grown dramatically over the past few years as it has orchestrated a ridiculous improvement in the recruitment rankings every year for ponies. Growing up in Dallas and playing high school football at Skyline Dallas – under the guidance of his father and DFW coaching legend Reginald – Ra’Shaad has his pulse in the DFW metroplex and leveraged player relationships and coaches to create a community in his hometown. He understands the importance of local marketing and has helped drive local campaigns showcasing area recruits.
At just 26 years old and with college playing experience on his resume, Samples is a home run with rookies, especially in the state. “Ra’Shaad is one of those guys who impresses people very quickly,” Dykes told ESPN earlier this year. “He definitely stuck with me. I was around him for about five minutes and I thought, ‘Man, I want to work with this guy someday.’ as possible. Those things will translate well to the metroplex with a program that prides itself on being visible in and around Texas high schools for the past two decades. It prides itself on building relationships and that authenticity has helped the ponies recruit the frogs over the past two seasons, which could quickly change if he replaces the Mustang logo with the horned frog later this weekend. industry. “He’s an elite scout,” Dykes said. “But Ra’Shaad works just as hard on the coaching level. In a few years, you’ll see him as an offensive coordinator and playmaker, then as a head coach. He has all the things you want. The ability to communicate, to inspire people, he does it very well. He has a great experience in football having rubbed shoulders with his father.
While recruiting isn’t a big part of a job coach’s day-to-day job in the NFL, it seems Samples is adept at building relationships and connecting with his players. We’ve seen McVay prioritize this attribute in coaching his team, which is why individuals like Thomas Brown have been successful in Los Angeles.
The Rams have yet to finalize their coaching staff for the 2022 season. As LA continues to lose coaches to other NFL teams, McVay has been able to top up its ranks with some exciting young talent – Ra’ Shaad Samples is another example.
