The Oklahoma State Cowboys managed to hold onto a big part of their impressive 2013 wide receiver haul when Dallas (Texas) Skyline wideout Ra’Shaad Samples signed his letter of intent on Wednesday.
Ra’Shaad Samples signs with Oklahoma State over Kentucky
A late visit the Bluegrass State wasn’t enough to flip the longtime Oklahoma State pledge.
A consensus four-star prospect, the 6-0, 170-pound Samples is one of the top 250 players in the country by the 247Sports composite rankings, the 33rd-ranked wide receiver overall, and the 33rd-ranked player in the state of Texas. He held offers from all over the country, including Cal, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, and many others.
Samples said the whole atmosphere in Stillwater was attractive when he visited:
When I went down there, I talked to coach Gundy for a long time and he just talked to me about different things. He’s a great man and being able to play for that guy is amazing. They have a great offensive coordinator and the receivers coach is amazing, coach Casey Dunn, he recruited me really hard. When I went down there, the players made me feel wanted, so I just loved it
Here’s the skinny on the slight receiver:
At 6-0 and 170 pounds and with a reported 40 time of 4.5 seconds, Samples doesn’t have overwhelming measurables and benefited last season from playing with dynamic Texas A&M signee Thomas Johnson, but he does have a knack for getting open, consistently getting open deep when defenders fail to get into their backpedal quickly, and that could be a great fit for Oklahoma State’s wide-open passing attack.
With two leg injuries in the last seasons and a slight frame, Samples may have to work hard in the weight room over the next several years to stay durable enough in college, but he did come back faster and stronger from his original injury, showing the resolve to overcome his setback, which he called more of a “pause” shortly after it happened.
As long as Samples can prove that he can stay durable in college and add some functional strength, he has the potential to have a successful college career because of his ability to get open.
Twitter: @10justscored
Recruitment timeline: Samples committed to Oklahoma State at The Opening in July, but decided to take a visit to Kentucky in January to see what new head coach Mark Stoops is building in Lexington, though it wasn’t enough to get him to change his mind about his destination.
Highlight video:
Ra’Shaad Samples Highlights (via 247SportsStudio)
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