Update: Samples has indeed been hired to SMU's staff, but we are told David Gru will continue to coach wide receivers.
SMU has hired Ra'Shaad Samples to coach the Mustangs' wide receivers, FootballScoop can confirm. The news was first reported by Pony Stampede and Inside Texas.
He replaces Brett Diersen, who left last week to become the special teams coordinator at Temple.
Only 24 years old, Samples is viewed as a rising star in the profession. A former wide receiver at Oklahoma State and Houston, Samples has spent the past 18 months as a wide receivers analyst and an on-campus recruiting specialist at Texas. He has been instrumental in UT's #DallastoAustin recruiting efforts; four of the Longhorns' eight commitments in the 2020 class are from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Samples is the son of Reginald Samples, head coach of powerhouse Duncanville High School, located just south of Dallas.
The younger Samples will be tasked with tutoring the Mustangs' wide receivers while also bolstering SMU's recruiting efforts on the program's home turf. Among the 10 commits currently pledged to SMU's 2020 class, two are from the Dallas area.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.