The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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78 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS The state of New Mexico isn't ex- actly known as a hotbed of football talent, but Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh knows better than to ig- nore any area of the country — or the planet, for that matter — in his quest for elite talent. The summer camp circuit, too, has made it much easier to identify pros- pects from far away places. Nike's The Opening is one of the main rea- sons Los Lunas (N.M.) High running back O'maury Samuels emerged as a breakout performer in the spring of 2016. The 5-10, 192-pound Samuels tested off the charts in several catego- ries and became a "must watch" re- cruit for many coaching staffs at the regional camp in Dallas last spring, compiling one of the best combine scores in the nation and earning an invite to the prestigious finals in Bea- verton, Ore. The only question Los Lunas head coach Terrell Trantham had about his four-star standout at that point was, "What took everyone so long?" "His first game as a sophomore he started at running back for us, and he ripped off this run that was about a 60-yard run," Trantham recalled. "Two or three guys tried to tackle him, but he slipped them, and when he got to the second level he pulled away and no one touched him. "The coaches all kind of looked at each other and said, 'Okay.' That's kind of when we knew he was pretty special." Samuels finished that campaign with 187 carries for 1,397 yards (7.5 yards per rush) and 14 touchdowns, and added a score via reception and kickoff return. His rushing average continued to rise each year. He registered 185 car- ries for 1,468 yards (7.9 yards per rush) and 21 touchdowns as a ju- nior, along with two receiving touch- downs. In his final campaign, he rushed 160 times for 1,376 yards (8.6 per carry) and 14 touchdowns. The numbers could have been even better, but Trantham was looking out for his player's future. "I didn't really believe in running him into the ground or anything," he said. "It wasn't about stats or doing anything to get him more heavily recruited. We always talked before- hand about making sure he was part of the game plan, but if the game was well in hand either direction, we were going to make sure we took care of him." If there's a knock on Samuels, it's that the level of competition in his home state isn't top notch. "I can see how people would look at it that way given how few D-I guys come out of New Mexico," Trantham admitted. "But with these combines and metrics and stuff — which recruiters and colleges are ac- tually using when they're looking to get guys — the level of competition is downplayed. "They're looking to see those com- bine numbers, camp numbers, watch a guy move and stuff like that, then they go look at film. It's different with as much exposure as these kids can get at camps and combines." Good is good, he continued, re- gardless of who's playing defense. "You can't teach speed," the coach said. "He's fast, but it's his combi- nation of strength and speed that's impressive. It's unmatched here in New Mexico, but being a guy that can break a tackle when the defen- sive lineman is sticking his hand out or something … to break that and get through the linebackers and the sec- ondary and outrunning everybody, it's pretty hard to game plan that." There was talk that Samuels might be looking around after he commit- ted to Michigan, but Trantham never saw it. Samuels came to school every day in his Michigan gear and wore his colors proudly. The Wolverines are getting a great player, Trantham added, but an even better kid. "On the field, he was definitely an all-eyes-on-him type of guy in the game. Other teams were always wor- ried about him, and our offense and defensive game plan revolves around him," he said. "He was a pretty pop- ular guy on Friday nights. He helped us get to the semifinals this year and it was a pretty good year for him. "As a person, he's just a great kid to be around. Kids like being around him in the locker room; the coaches like being around him on the field. He's a charismatic guy and was all about team goals the last few years. Physically, he has all the tools and stuff like that, but I just like being around him. I'm a big fan of his, and of the Wolverines going forward just because of the kind of kid he is." ❏ Running Back O'maury Samuels Is The Complete Package Samuels was a three-time 5A All-State choice by the New Mexico coaches, earning second- team honors as a sophomore and capping his career with a pair of first-team nods. PHOTO COURTESY O'MAURY SAMUELS VIA TWITTER