Los Lunas (NM) running back O'Maury Samuels became the third commitment of a busy Spring Game weekend when he announced his pledge Sunday night. Michigan was the first major program to offer Samuels, whose stock rose quickly after an outstanding performance at the Dallas Opening regional in March. His visit sealed the deal:
“Man, it was fantastic,” Samuels told The Michigan Insider. “I loved the atmosphere. I loved the people around there. I loved the area. Their facilities were just great. I got to communicate with some of the players. They were nice. They told me how (things are) run things there at Michigan. I really like it out there. I got to talk to Coach Harbaugh and Coach Wheatley. We talked about how I could be their All-Purpose back for the 2017 class. They said they need one. “
“So I was like, hey, they need me. Why not?”“They’re going to have a scat back, and all-purpose back, and a power back.”
Samuels is Michigan's 11th commit in the 2017 class and the third at running back, joining four-star AJ Dillon and three-star Kurt Taylor.
GURU RATINGS
| Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
| 4*, #23 RB | 4* RB | NR RB |
3*, 89, #25 RB, #338 Ovr |
4*, #21 RB, #293 Ovr |
While they didn't hand out the same star rating, Scout and 247 both have Samuels in the same range in the positional and overall rankings—based on position rankings, Samuels sits just outside the Scout 300. ESPN hasn't ranked him at all. Rivals threw out a cursory post-commitment four-star rating but hasn't given him a position ranking yet; only 16 RBs in the 2017 class are ranked as four-star prospects or better on Rivals.
Samuels is listed in the 5'10", 190-pound rangs by three of the four sites; 247 gives him an extra inch. He's not a big RB; he's still got plenty of size for the position.
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SCOUTING
New Mexico isn't known for producing much in the way of football talent, so it comes as little surprise that Samuels was flying under the radar heading into this spring. In March, Samuels went to Dallas for a SPARQ combine and Opening regional camp as a relative unknown; it didn't take long for scouts to notice him:
When I arrived at The Opening Dallas regional, the Nike staff was buzzing about a standout at their rating day event one day earlier. "The running back from New Mexico" was the heavily discussed before he took a rep at the camp that was to follow. When he did start taking those reps, you didn't even need to have a roster to know who he was. By the end of the event, I knew his name: O'Maury Samuels. Now he's a Michigan commit and he's one of the biggest steals at this point in the 2016 cycle.
Samuels isn't necessarily a 'big back' in the typical sense of the term. He's 5-foot-10, 188 pounds but he is extremely impressive from a physical standpoint. The dude is jacked. Even at 190 pounds, he's going to pack a punch and be able to play powerfully behind his pads. What he brings to Michigan though is a home-run threat, especially when paired with A.J. Dillon.
Shortly after he left, he had his first major offer:
This guy was the talk of the camp. He posted the top SPARQ numbers of any prospect to test this camp series so far and because of his frame and build drew instant comparisons to Oklahoma star running back Samaje Perine. The showing has led to offers from UTSA and Michigan following the camp's conclusion. It was also great to watch his highlights post-event and see a prospect who can back up his testing with solid play on the field in the pads.
Samuels' SPARQ score remains the highest on record this year. As you'd expect, the individual components are all quite impressive:
Remarkably, Samuels told Scout he wasn't fully healthy when he competed in Dallas:
Two weeks before The Opening Dallas, Samuels wasn't even sure he'd be able to attend.
"I was nursing my hamstring, so I sat out track to get ready," said Samuels. "I wished I was healthier for The Opening and I think if I was, I could have ran a 4.3 (he clocked a 4.45). I would have ran it another time. But I was pretty happy with my results."
Samuels' breakout performance prompted scouts to go over his junior film; Scout's Greg Biggins really liked what he saw:
After watching Samuels' tape following the NIKE event, there is no doubt he's an elite prospect and should be mentioned among the top five running backs in the entire west region.
His size and speed combo are obvious but he's much more than that. He plays with a suddenness to him, is a decisive runner who can hit full stride in just a few steps and he's gone. He's a fluid athlete with no wasted motion, can make you miss in the open field and isn't stiff or robotic like you see with some players that are as muscle bound as Samuels.
He shows good hands out of the backfield and immediately gets up the field and doesn't try and dance around or be too cute in how he plays. He shows vision, patience and balance and projects at the next level as a player who can run between the tackles, bounce it outside and be used in the passing game.
Biggins dismissed concerns that Samuels is a product of his competition level; his physical tools and running style would impress no matter where he played.
247's Clint Brewster also had a glowing evaluation of Samuel's junior tape, calling him an "explosive running back with a huge upside and unlimited potential" before getting into specifics:
Once he’s out in space, Samuels can take it the distance with nice speed downfield. Samuels' lower-body strength allows him to run through arm tackles and behind his pads. It takes more than one defender to get him down. He flashes sudden, 1-cut ability on stretch plays. O’Maury’s untapped or raw potential is very special. He’s a great piece of clay to mold at the next level. He has the toughness to run inside the tackles at the next level and can get to the perimeter on the outside zone plays. Should provide a good change of pace with Michigan's other jumbo-sized backs. O'Maury is a major steal for the Michigan staff.
Samuels has decent size, tremendous athleticism, and good natural instincts as a runner. Tyrone Wheatley will have a lot to work with.
OFFERS
Samuels holds offers from Arizona, Cal, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, and UT-San Antonio. Baylor, Notre Dame, USC, and Utah were among the programs showing serious interest recently, but none have come forth with an offer yet. Samuels almost certainly isn't done reeling in offers.
HIGH SCHOOL
Samuels is the only prospect from Los Lunas to even have an entry in the Rivals database. The Tigers went 6-5 in 2015, losing their opening game in the New Mexico 5A state playoffs. Only three players from the state have played for Michigan: Alan Branch, Zach Gentry, and William Morley, a quarterback on the 1895 squad.
STATS
According to MaxPreps, Samuels rushed for 1461 yards and 21 touchdowns on 185 carries (7.9 YPC) as a junior, adding 92 yards and two additional scores on eight receptions. He averaged 31 yards on six kickoff returns, one of which was a 90-yard touchdown.
Samuels was also quite productive as a sophomore, when he posted 1397 yards and 14 touchdowns on 187 carries (7.5 YPC), scored a 50-yard touchdown on one of his three receptions, and returned two kickoffs for 150 yards and another TD.
FAKE 40 TIME
Samuels has recorded electronic-timed, zero-FAKE 40s of 4.48 and 4.58 seconds this spring, apparently despite a wonky hamstring. In addition to his excellent 40 times, he posted a 44.5-inch vertical leap, which is, to use a technical term, flat-out bonkers.
VIDEO
Junior highlights:
Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
Samuels will get his chance to audition for a spot in the running back rotation as early as his freshman year, when the departures of De'Veon Smith and Drake Johnson will open up spots on the depth chart. He may have the best chance among the 2017 backs to see the field right away because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, contribute on special teams, and bring a different running style than the others on the roster.
While it's probably safe to expect Ty Isaac to be the primary running back in 2017, the competition will be wide open the following year. Karan Higdon, Kingston Davis, Kareem Walker, and the three 2017 commits will be in a heated battle for snaps. Based on his film and measurables, I really like Samuels' chances of getting a healthy amount of playing time early in his career.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Michigan is most likely finished at running back barring in-class attrition, so they can turn their focus to other positions of need in the class, with outside receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, outside linebacker, and safety chief among them.
After Samuels' commitment, Michigan's 2017 ranks fifth nationally and second in the Big Ten, behind only Ohio State. Here's the class as it currently stands: