Recruiting: Ra’Shaad Samples visits Texas A&M
As his recruitment winds down, the race to nab top wide receiver prospect Ra’Shaad Samples heats up. The 2013 four-star wideout out of Dallas recently visited the Texas A&M Aggies, one of the teams with the best chances of landing the prized receiver.
Ra’Shaad Samples will likely go to either Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas, or USC; those schools are in his top six. Some experts believe that Samples will likely stay in the state of Texas. If they are right, then the onus is on TTU, A&M, and UT.
The 6’0″, 170 pound WR was an invite to The Opening, Gridiron Kings, and the Under Armour All-America game. Ra’Shaad Samples is one of the top 40 wide receiver recruits in the 2013 class and one of the top recruits in the state of Texas. He was one of the best receivers in the state last year after catching a whopping 19 touchdowns on 65 total catches for 1,359 yards.
The four-star recruit from Skyline High- his father is the coach over there- has a 247Sports rating of 90. ESPN is lower on him than the other recruiting services, with Scout being the highest on him and ranking him in their top 20 at the position.
This is a guy with good speed (4.5 forty), sound route-running, and he is just nasty when catching the ball in traffic. It’s tough to find someone who is barely six feet tall and can make the catches he makes. Ra’Shaad Samples uses his speed to get big yardage after the catch. He can beat you deep, but he can also turn short five yard dump-offs into 20-yard gains.
A decision should be coming soon for the prized Texas WR who can claim the Kansas Jayhawks as one of his offers despite them being eliminated.
The Big 12 target is an excellent route-runner, he has good game speed, and he makes up for a lack of size with hops. Still, some say Ra’Shaad Samples needs to fill out his frame better and get bigger in order to take it to the next level. That is a smaller concern than it is made out to be, because Samples has the talent to succeed in pretty much any scheme. He has great hands, get separation, and is truly one of the most talented WR prospects in the nation. Samples is competitive, so he will always be improving.