Oregon football assistant head coach and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples was charged with DUII and reckless driving in April, The Oregonian/OregonLive first reported and The Daily Emerald independently verified Monday. Samples, 31, is entering his third season with the program in 2026.
A Eugene police officer cited Samples in lieu of custody on April 12 at 2:02 a.m. after he allegedly backed his Ford F-150 into a parked Dodge Ram in a downtown Eugene parking lot, EPD spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin said in a statement to The Daily Emerald. According to police, Samples initially left the scene but was flagged down by the Dodge driver near the Hult Center on West Seventh Avenue, a few blocks from the crash.
The responding officer reported that Samples appeared visibly impaired by alcohol. Both vehicles sustained damage, though it is unclear whether anyone was inside the parked vehicle at the time of the crash.
Samples is scheduled to appear in court on July 20 at 1 p.m. DUII and reckless driving are both Class A misdemeanors in Oregon, the most serious level of misdemeanor offense, carrying a maximum sentence of up to 364 days in jail.
Samples, a former FBS assistant coach at Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University and a former NFL assistant with the Los Angeles Rams, was hired in April 2024 after former Ducks running backs coach Carlos Locklyn left the program. He quickly rose to prominence, helping lead a Big Ten championship-winning offense in 2024 behind eventual fifth-round NFL Draft pick Jordan James before mentoring freshman running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. alongside veteran Noah Whittington during Oregon’s 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal run.
The former Oklahoma State University and University of Houston wide receiver developed a positive reputation among players after Locklyn’s abrupt departure in 2024. Locklyn was later sued by the university in February 2025.
Oregon football is currently between spring and fall practices after concluding its annual Spring Game on April 25.
According to court records, Samples has retained legal counsel. His attorney nor the University of Oregon athletics department could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
This story has been updated with a statement from the Eugene Police Department.
Reilly Norgren and Tarek Anthony contributed to this reporting.
![The Oregon Ducks throw up their “O”s to the crowd after winning the match. On May 30, 2026, The Oregon Ducks defeated the Washington State Cougars [4-0] in game 4 of the NCAA D1 Baseball Regionals at PK Park, at University of Oregon, based in Eugene, Ore. (Fred Hall/Emerald)](https://dailyemerald.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026.5.30.EMG_.FJH_.BSBLvsWashingtonStNCAA-15-1200x800.jpg)
