Ra'Shaad Samples Offers Rare Insight Into His Coaching Approach at Oregon

EUGENE – Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning has plenty of rising stars on his coaching staff. One of them is running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples, who is leading a loaded backfield group in 2026.

Samples and Oregon star running back Dierre Hill Jr. recently spoke to the media about Samples’ approach to coaching and building relationships with his players based on trust.

Ra’Shaad Samples’ Unique Approach to Coaching

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oregon ducks ra'shaad samples dan lanning running backs dierre hill jordon davison da'juan riggs simeon price eugene autzen — Oregon running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples sprays running back Jayden Limar during practice with the Ducks Wednesday, Aug. 14 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Samples takes what could be described as a tough love approach with his players. While Hill acknowledged that Samples jokes around with the running back group a lot, he can also be very firm with them.

“Sometimes those guys, and they're like, ‘Coach, do you not like me?’ Like, no, I love you guys, but I got to hold you to the highest standard,” Samples said. “And that's how you show love. I think that's the best way to show that you love somebody is hold them to the standard that they want to be held to.”

“I ask them all the time, what standard do you want to be held to? (Dierre and Jordon Davison) tell me, want to be some of the greatest running backs to ever come through here,” he continued. “I said, ‘Well, if I love you then I hold you to the standard of that every single day and every single thing you do.’”

When asked about Samples’ coaching style, Hill immediately grinned.

“Yes, coach Samp can be very mean at times,” Hill said, chuckling. “Some of the new guys that have came in already has asked me the question: ‘Was he this hard on you, too?’ And I just smile.”

“It's just like, ‘Yes, he really is. You wouldn't be here if he wasn't hard on you.’ And he just sees so much potential in us. He pushes us to the max. He pushes us out of our comfort zone. And that's what we want coming here at Oregon, that's exactly what we're looking for.”

Samples’ coaching style appears to be effective, at least for Hill and Davison who accounted for over 21 touchdowns in 2025 as true freshmen. Part of what makes the player-coach dynamic work is due to the willingness of players like Hill to receive criticism.

“We respect him so much, so we want to go out there and do that, because we know he wants the best for us, so we just try to do that for him,” Hill said.

How Being a Coach's Son Influenced Oregon Ducks’ Ra’Shaad Samples

Samples isn’t the first football coach in his family. He is the son of Reginald Samples, who is a long-time high school football coach in the state of Texas.

The elder Samples guided Duncanville High School to a pair of state championships and has a coaching record of 363-90-1. He announced in February that he’s returning to Duncanville for another season.

The Oregon running backs coach revealed that his father played a critical role in how he coaches his players.

“It's funny, I was riding around last night with Jordon,” Samples said. “I was telling him, man, I really care about you guys so much, but I can't let the standard drop. And he's asking, how do I balance caring about those guys and holding those guys to a high standard.”

“And I just told him, it's kind of a tribute to my dad and how I grew up,” he continued. “I knew there was love in that household. I knew he loved me. I knew he cared about me, but I mean, how he held me to a standard, how he held me accountable, if you were a stranger watching it, you might not think that guy liked me.”

Samples played for his father at Skyline High School. He amassed over 1,000 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior and was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of high school. He attended Oklahoma State and Houston as a wide receiver but eventually had to medically retire.

The young Ducks assistant quickly rose in the coaching ranks, before joining Oregon at only 29 years old in 2024. He now serves as the Ducks’ assistant head coach, as well as the running backs coach.

But it appears that a lot of how he interacts with his players stems from the interactions he had with his own father at Skyline.

“That's how I was raised,” he said. “My dad would ask me, ‘What are your goals? I'm going to hold you to that standard. And it doesn't always look like you think it looks.’”

“That's how I'm able to handle those guys, and that comes from the background I was raised in, and it's just natural … I don't go home and not sleep at night because I think Jordon or Dierre or (Da’Juan Riggs) or Simeon (Price) is mad at me. I don't care. I'm coming back, and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow, and they know that.”

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