Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham studies young coaches. Knowing that, it is no surprise that Ra’shaad Samples came onto his radar. The 28-year-old is the son of famed Dallas high school coach Reginald Samples, and although he may have been reluctant to become a coach at first, he’s wowed those who have worked with him with his authenticity, communication skills and ability to lead. Speaking to people who have worked with him in his still young career, the question isn’t when Samples will become a head coach, but rather whether the young gun may get a head coaching role at a younger age than even Dillingham did.
Getting to know Samples and those around him unearths many of the themes around what takes a young coach from being a capable assistant to someone who many are assured will one day get to lead a program of his own.
The younger Samples, a former player at Oklahoma State and Houston, was working on a business degree when multiple concussions ended his playing career. He was working toward transitioning to perhaps become an athlete in a different arena: esports. At the time, he was a top-100 Madden player. Tom Herman, then the coach at Houston, had other ideas.
