DALLAS (247/SMU) – Assistant Head Coach and running backs coach Ra'Shaad Samples and cornerbacks coach Stefan McClure were named to the 2021 247Sports 30Under30 list.

In its fifth year, the list highlights some of the fastest-rising college personnel in the country.

Since Samples' arrival on the Hilltop in 2019, he has risen from an assistant coach to running backs coach and recruiting coordinator and now Assistant Head Coach.

As running backs coach, Samples helped Ulysses Bentley IV to FWAA Freshman All-America honors (the first Mustang in history) and AAC Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. The redshirt freshman was also a member of the Doak Walker and CFPA Award Watch Lists.

Bentley IV led the league with 913 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 10 games. His 11 rushing TDs set the SMU freshman single-season record and his 913 rushing yards in the regular season were over 200 more than any other player in the conference. His rushing TD and total TD totals ranked 17th nationally, while his rushing yards were 18th, and his 12 total TDs made him one of only two freshmen nationally with 10+ total TDs.

Samples also developed Burlsworth Trophy nominee Tyler Lavine, a walk-on who had a career season as a redshirt-sophomore in 2020. Lavine finished with 61 carries, 310 yards and five TDs on 5.1 yards per carry.


The Mustangs' 2021 recruiting class is the highest-ranked in program history and features the highest signee for SMU. It also boasts the highest average recruiting rating in the American Athletic Conference and is better than 16 Power 5 programs.

Samples finished as the No. 1 recruiter in the conference (247sports), after the December Signing Day period, landing him as a top-30 recruiter in the country among the Power 5 and Group of 5. Among Group of 5 schools, Samples was the nation's top recruiter.

During the 2020 season, Samples was listed among 247Sports' 30-Under-30 list and is also on the Dave Campbell's 40 Under 40 list in 2021.

McClure joined the Mustang staff in 2019 as a graduate assistant and was elevated to cornerbacks coach in March.

In 2020, McClure helped mentor Brandon Crossley to a national ranking of eighth in interceptions with four, including one for a touchdown at Tulsa, one in overtime against Tulane and one in the end zone against Memphis. Brandon Stephens registered a team-high 11 passes defended, which led the American Athletic Conference. He went on to earn an invite to the 2021 NFL Combine and NFLPA Bowl and was selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.