Spring is the time for cleaning house, and for Oregon football that has meant enduring changes to a staff that managed a successful 2023 and finding new faces among a crowded preseason.
The Ducks managed to retain most of their staff from last season’s 12-win outing. Head coach Dan Lanning announced that he would stay amidst rumors of a move to Tuscaloosa, and highly-touted offensive coordinator Will Stein remains on the sidelines at Autzen Stadium.
The piece Oregon has lost, however, is former running backs coach Carlos Locklyn. The former tailbacks’ leader spent two years in Eugene and ruffled a few feathers on his way out. Lanning and his staff acted quickly, though, and picked up a replacement: Ra’Shaad Samples from Arizona State.
“You always lean on relationships of people who know guys,” Lanning told GoDucks. “There’s several guys on our staff who knew Ra’Shaad well … Will [Stein]’s worked with him, [tight ends coach] Drew [Mehringer]’s worked with him in the past. We spent a lot of time trying to find the right guy.”
And take time they did. The position was vacant for nearly a week in the middle of spring practices between Locklyn’s departure and Samples’ arrival. For Lanning, though, the wait was worth it.
“The pieces that he adds to our program — his experience, even as a young up-and-comer [and] the multitude of positions he’s worked with made him a really great fit for us,” he said after Samples’ first day.
The Texan is only 29 years old — after his career as a collegiate wide receiver was curtailed by concussions, he turned to the sideline. He rose through the ranks at Southern Methodist University. After starting as a recruiter, he became the running backs coach and eventually assistant head coach in under two years. He’s got pro experience, too. Between stints at Texas Christian University and ASU, he spent 2022 with Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams as their tailbacks position coach.
“Being with Sean for that year was invaluable,” Samples said. “I got to work with [Rams running back] Kyren Williams, I got to teach how different guys look and what you want going towards the next level.”
“I’ve said it before: You can’t eat an elephant in one bite,” Lanning said, mentioning that Samples was already watching film on his flight up. “He’s going to learn as quick as he can.”
Samples is fully bought in.
“You don’t sleep,” he told GoDucks. “You just be relentless about your approach — you spend all night here and then you wake up and you come here early in the morning. You use the outlets you have, you lean on the players, you lean on the coaches and you just spend the time grinding.”
He’ll have a strong backfield to teach. Despite losing feature back Bucky Irving to the NFL Draft, the Ducks return junior Jordan James and redshirt junior Noah Whittington. Oregon also picked up transfer Jay Harris, a Division II All-American with Northwest Missouri State, to compete with second-year back Jayden Limar and a bevy of freshmen.
“We’ve had to work through it,” James told GoDucks. “Obviously, with the unexpected loss of Coach Lock, but I think we’ve done a great job within ourselves, holding each other accountable and still doing the things we’re supposed to do.”
James rushed for 759 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023 after taking over the role of co-conspirator to Irving in the wake of Whittington’s Week 4 injury.
“He knows what he’s talking about,” James said. “He’s going to help us win games, [and] he’s going to help us get better at every aspect of our game. There’s not much of a change as far as the way we practice — I feel like we always practice with high intensity, but Coach Samp has definitely brought a different aspect of the game to us.”
For now, that means keeping an eye on who’s making waves. Both of the feature backs could potentially depart at season’s end for the NFL, and it’ll be a proving ground for those behind them.
In Saturday’s scrimmage, keep an eye out for who’s in favor and what looks Samples might offer. Whittington and James are expected to carry the bulk of the load, but with a packed season — potentially longer than most in recent history — on the horizon, it seems inevitable that backs like Harris and Limar will see ample time as the Ducks prepare for the 2024 season.
