Carrington, Samples eager to parlay recruiting momentum into production

Before Bryan Carrington and Ra’Shaad Samples came to Arizona State, both assistant coaches were already considered some of the top recruiting aces in the country.

Now, the two Texas natives are pooling their efforts and are now working under the same roof – and the results speak for themselves of their collective ability to attract talent to Tempe.

Arizona State nabbed 25 transfers this offseason, the most by any Power Five team. The Sun Devils ranked second in the Rivals transfer portal team rankings, only trailing the Deion Sanders-led efforts of Colorado. When combined with the 19 incoming freshmen Arizona State added in its 2023 recruiting cycle, the program will have at least an astounding 44 new faces on the field this fall, a figure that is guaranteed to rise in the upcoming months.

Carrington and Samples will have their eyes on the top talent in the country. Pittsburg, Calif. quarterback Jaden Rashada, a four-star prize at the deadline for Arizona State, was just the tip of the iceberg. Within hours of wrapping up signing day, Samples earned his first 2024 commit, Mesquite, Tex. wide receiver Elijah Baesa and began scheduling official visits for other top-tier prospects. Among the scheduled March visitors from the 2024 class is five-star Colin Simmons, the nation’s top Edge prospect of his group and the No. 1 recruit in Texas.

“The thing we got going here is we got some excitement around the program,” Samples described. “We got people really buying into what we’re doing. I think we got to go out and do our part to continue to work. And then also we got to continue the work on the field. All this recruiting is exciting, but you know, programs are built of wins and losses in the room. So we got to go out on the field and win.”

Samples was the youngest position coach in the NFL last year during a stint coaching running backs for the Los Angeles Rams. It was the same job he held by the end of his time with SMU in 2021, which also included the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. Samples played college football at Oklahoma State and Houston but medically retired due to his concussion history. He is the son of Reginald Samples, the head football coach at Duncanville High School.

Carrington has signed 11 five-star recruits over his young career, which includes stops at Houston, Texas, USC, and TCU. He was responsible for signing running back Bijan Robinson to Texas, the number one prospect in Arizona for the 2020 class. During his three-year career as the Longhorns’ director of recruiting, Carrington secured two classes that ranked in the top three nationally.

Carrington knows the recruiting momentum he and Samples have built is exciting. It is a testament to the hard work both of them have put into developing their connections in the Lone Star state. Carrington views his way as the difference between offering student-athletes a scholarship and recruiting them.

When Carrington extends an offer, it holds weight because of the respect he’s gained from the coaching circle he has immersed himself in.

“I’m not just trying to chase a unicorn; I’m trying to find the right kid that fits what I’m looking for,” Carrington said. “And so in that process, I was able to build genuine solid relationships with high school coaches, recruiting coordinators, the Texas high school coaches association, it’s a fraternity. Somebody I recruited seven years ago might now be the head coach at another school, and now my web just got so broader that I feel I have built such a strong network to the point where those coaches will endorse me because of name recognition within the state.”

Samples, who Carrington recruited to Houston, feels like his Texas’ grassroots allow him to easily connect with recruits in the Lone Star State.

“I’m a Texas guy through and through,” Samples noted. “I’ve never been ashamed to say it. I own it; I take pride in it. And I think just being around Texas so long, I think those guys can identify with me. They know exactly who I am. It’s funny, I talked to a kid yesterday, and he talked about remembering watching me play high school football. So just having that familiarity with those guys has allowed me to create relationships that I’ll collect returns on for a long time.”

Having been exposed to some of the best athletes in the country during their previous recruiting stops, Carrington has a firm idea of what types of players he wants to bring to Arizona State.

“I want guys that have exceptional movement skills that are tough, and then we can coach up the other stuff,” Carrington said. “It’s literally about what God gives these kids in the womb, you know, because I’m not gonna be the coach to say when you showed up, you were trash, and I polished you up, and now you’re a first-round pick. It doesn’t happen that way. Literally, my job is to make sure you get an oil change, don’t run you into the mud, put some Turtle Wax on the engine, and check that the tires are clean and rotating.

But both coaches are hungry to prove their recruiting chops will translate on the field. In addition to his duties coaching wide receivers, Samples was tabbed as Arizona State’s pass game coordinator. Carrington, a first-time position coach, will instruct the cornerback groups (Defensive coordinator Brian Ward will work with the safeties).

At the end of the day, Samples is hoping for production.

“I think every athlete is different. I think every guy is different. I think their ability to go out there and be productive on the field is important. And I think sometimes that’s overlooked with all the metrics we had today with all the hundreds, the track times, the PFF. I think sometimes productivity is overlooked.

“Everybody’s gonna go about it in different ways. Not everybody’s gonna be (All-Pro wide receiver) Tyreek Hill, my roommate in college. Not everybody is going to be Davante Adams. You got to have your process figured out, how to be productive, and as long as you have that process and you’ve mastered that process, you’re going to have my trust.”

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